Search Results (31,854)

Recreation is a key ecosystem service provided by mountainous areas. The European Alps are a main attraction for tourists due to their natural landscapes. Nature-based recreation and ecotourism are an opportunity for local communities in alpine valleys. However, tourism may also represent a threat to fragile mountain environments when large numbers of tourists are involved in touristic models based on heavy use of resources. This study aims to provide insights into how local communities in an alpine valley, the Comelico Valley, see the current tourism demand and its future changes. Comelico shares similar environmental and landscape characteristics with the surrounding valleys but is less developed from the touristic point of view. We used the Delphi method on a panel of nine local tourism experts from different areas of operations. The results about the forecast of future activities to be prioritized highlight the importance of diversification of tourism offer towards sustainable activities closer to the concept of nature-based tourism and ecotourism. Activities to be prioritized for development were hiking and thematic hiking, forest well-being initiatives and experience laboratories. These results suggest a potential need to change the present model of mountain tourism towards a more diversified and soft approach to mountain recreation. Full article

Most glaucoma genetic data derive from European and East Asian cohorts, leaving high-consanguinity Middle Eastern populations under-characterized. This review synthesizes 33 Saudi-specific genetic studies (2014–2024, >9000 participants) to define a population-level glaucoma genetic architecture that diverges substantially from global models and carries direct precision medicine implications. Three findings distinguish the Saudi landscape. First, CYP1B1 functions as the dominant causal gene across both primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) and juvenile-onset open-angle glaucoma (JOAG), accounting for 76–86% of cases, with two founder alleles, p.G61E (penetrance 87.7%) and p.R469W (penetrance 93%), driving severe, early-onset phenotypes. Critically, MYOC and LTBP2, the primary JOAG genes in other populations, carry no pathogenic variants in Saudi cohorts, rendering standard multi-ethnic gene panels inadequate for this population. Second, adult-onset glaucoma follows a distinct polygenic architecture where APOE ε2 confers a near five-fold risk for primary angle-closure glaucoma (OR = 4.82), an effect absent or inconsistent in global datasets, and NOS3 variants associate with primary open-angle glaucoma specifically in men, a sex-stratified signal unreported outside Saudi cohorts. The MTHFR T/T genotype, common in European and Asian POAG patients, is entirely absent locally, indicating population-specific allelic distributions that alter folate-metabolism-related optic nerve susceptibility. Third, ACVR1 rs12997 associates across POAG, PACG, and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PXG), positioning BMP/TGF-β signaling as a shared mechanistic pathway spanning multiple subtypes. These findings argue for Saudi-specific genetic panels, CYP1B1-centered cascade testing in consanguineous families, and polygenic risk models incorporating local allele frequencies rather than globally derived weights. Full article

Housing industrialization and modularization have gained traction as responses to two pressing challenges in the construction sector: the chronic shortage of affordable housing and the substantial environmental footprint of conventional building methods. Yet prevailing modular housing models in Europe remain constrained by dependence on global supply chains, production concentrated in large industrial operators, and insufficient adaptation to local material and territorial conditions. This article presents a state-of-the-art review of modular timber housing in Europe, examining technological typologies, market structures, and national regulatory frameworks. The methodology integrates a systematic literature and market review, a comparative country analysis, and an embedded case study. Findings indicate that the viability of modular timber housing depends not only on material performance but on its embeddedness in coherent industrial systems, business strategies, and regulatory contexts. Against this backdrop, the VICHO project is introduced as a case study exploring an open, proximity-based industrialization model that valorizes local poplar timber in southern Europe, in alignment with circular bioeconomy principles and the New European Bauhaus. Full article

Q fever, caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is a widespread zoonotic disease and a notifiable condition in 25 European Union countries. Dairy cattle are important reservoirs, and infection can pose a risk to both animal and human health. The aim of this study was to assess the temporal and spatial prevalence of C. burnetii in dairy farms in Latvia. In the period of January 2016–December 2018, seroprevalence was estimated. Between January 2022 and September 2023, bulk tank milk and pooled milk samples were collected from 5.81% of Latvian dairy farms and analyzed for the presence of C. burnetii DNA using PCR. Overall, 15.46% of milk samples and 10.05% of farms tested positive. These two periods were retrospectively compared with previously published Q-fever prevalence data within Latvian territory. To identify potential risk factors, statistical analyses were performed, including correlation assessments with farm-level and environmental variables. These new surveillance data and historical temporal spatial changes in disease distribution confirm the continued circulation of C. burnetii in Latvian dairy herds and highlight environmental and herd-level associated factors that may influence its spread. Results indicated that C. burnetii prevalence was positively associated with a high cattle density and overflowing plains, while the presence of surrounding woodlands was negatively correlated, suggesting a potential natural barrier effect. Full article

Children are largely absent from circular economy and bioeconomy research, limiting opportunities for early development of systems thinking, sustainability competencies, and inclusive knowledge production. This paper presents a qualitative case study of the Horizon 2020 AgroCycle project (2016–2019), examining how primary school children were engaged as co-researchers through a transdisciplinary, participatory model. Analysis draws on project deliverables, educational resources, workshop records, internal reports, and dissemination materials. The study shows how children and adult co-researchers explored waste valorisation, bioresource transformation, and biobased material innovation in Irish schools. Valorisation in the context of the bioeconomy is the process of converting residues from farming, food, forestry and marine sources into high-value products such as biofertilisers, biofuels and biochemicals. It situates AgroCycle within European sustainability policy, highlighting its influence on subsequent initiatives, including Horizon Europe BioBeo and BiOrbic, Research Ireland’s Centre for Bioeconomy. By combining qualitative case study methodology with reflective practitioner analysis, the paper demonstrates how child-centred, transdisciplinary research can enhance sustainability education, support SDG-aligned competencies, and promote inclusive approaches to circular economy and bioeconomy transitions. Full article

Lymphedema is a chronic condition marked by swelling in the body’s soft tissues due to impaired or damaged lymphatic function. Lymphedema is estimated to affect about 1 in 1000 in the United States and 1.4 per 1000 based on two European studies. Lymphedema diagnosis relies on clinical visual assessment by physicians, and the quantitative evaluation of lymphatic function is not widely employed due to the lack of standardized and validated metrics. Lymphoscintigraphy is considered the practical gold standard for evaluating lymphedema. With the emergence of advanced surgical therapies, there is a growing demand for quantitative evaluation metrics to objectively evaluate treatment response. To address this unmet need, we reviewed various methods of quantitative lymphoscintigraphy (qLSG) that were used for assessing lymphedema. We found that multiple qLSG approaches have been described. Moreover, the protocols vary widely in terms of tracer type, injection route, dosage, and exercise interventions. We compared the quantitative assessment strategies and highlighted the approaches that may help provide a more objective lymphedema diagnosis and follow-up. Full article

In agriculture, the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) as active substances in pesticides has increased over recent decades due to their chemical stability, their ability to alter cell membrane permeability, and their capacity to bind to target proteins. However, their intentional application to agricultural soils has led to progressive environmental accumulation. Their high persistence, mobility, and bioaccumulation potential, combined with documented toxicological effects, raise concerns for aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Monitoring surface and groundwater is essential to assess PFAS contamination. Data from the Italian monitoring plan show widespread contamination, despite the existing European regulatory framework designed to safeguard ecosystems and public health. The contamination is likely underestimated because monitoring programs currently target only a limited number of substances and PFAS metabolites and co-formulants are not included. Approximately 46 PFASs have been identified as active ingredients in pesticides, 29 of which are still authorized within the European Union, posing challenges for drinking water production and ecosystem protection. Existing regulatory regimes also differ in their evaluation procedures, which may lead to inconsistent conclusions regarding PFAS applications. Within the framework of the European “One Substance One Assessment” (OSOA) approach aimed at to ensuring the protection of human health and natural resources, this paper examines the properties of PFASs used as active substances in pesticides, their regulatory status, and their monitoring in Italy, highlighting the regulatory inconsistencies that result in the differential treatment of these substances compared with PFASs used in other sectors. Full article

Objectives: This study investigates the association of pretreatment underweight, sarcopenia, and cancer cachexia with survival outcome in hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) radiotherapy. Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed 167 patients with newly diagnosed HPC treated with definitive radiotherapy. The definitions of underweight, sarcopenia, and cancer cachexia are based on the international consensus of the European Palliative Care Research Collaborative. Underweight and sarcopenia were analyzed in all 167 patients, while cachexia analyses were restricted to the 117 patients for whom pretreatment weight-loss data were available. Survival outcomes were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test, and subsequently analyzed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. Results: The median follow-up period was 28 months. Cachexia analyses were restricted to the 117 patients for whom pretreatment weight-loss data were available; of these, 45 (38%) met criteria for cancer cachexia. Patients with underweight (n = 76, 46%) or cancer cachexia had significantly lower locoregional control, disease-free survival, and overall survival compared to those not underweight and without cachexia, respectively, whereas there was no difference in any outcome between patients with sarcopenia (n = 54, 32%) and those without. Given the definitional overlap among underweight, sarcopenia, and cachexia, these three variables were entered into the multivariate analysis separately—which included age, sex, performance status, double cancer, T-classification, N-classification, chemotherapy administration, treatment era, and radiation dose—confirming that underweight and cancer cachexia remained independently associated with worse LRC, DFS, and OS. In the fully adjusted multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, the hazard ratios for mortality risk were 1.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1–3.4; p = 0.030) and 2.0 (95% CI, 1.1–3.8; p = 0.032) for patients with underweight or cancer cachexia, respectively. Conclusions: Pretreatment underweight and cancer cachexia negatively impact survival outcomes, including locoregional control, in HPC radiotherapy. Prospective studies with standardized nutritional assessment protocols, pre-specified intervention arms, and sufficient sample sizes are essential to validate these findings and to establish the clinical benefit of pre-treatment nutritional optimization in this patient population. Full article

The European Union aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with biogas and biomethane expected to play an increasingly important role in the decarbonisation of the energy system. This study investigates the economic and social determinants shaping the development of biogas production in European countries and identifies an optimal investment strategy for new biogas plants under varying environmental conditions. An expert–mathematical method was applied to assess and hierarchise twenty economic and social factors influencing biogas production, based on evaluations provided by 71 experts from eleven European countries. Subsequently, individual choice criteria derived from game theory were used to determine the optimal strategy for biogas plant construction under conditions of uncertainty. The results indicate that six determinants—EU-level production support mechanisms, investment costs, national support instruments, process efficiency improvements, community involvement, and agricultural raw material prices—account for 52.9% of the total impact on biogas development potential. Among the analysed investment options, large-scale biogas plants with an installed capacity of 3 MW were identified as the optimal strategy, offering the lowest unit production costs and the lowest risk of cost overruns across diverse economic and social environments. These findings provide policy-relevant insights for supporting efficient and socially acceptable biogas deployment in Europe. Full article

The Digital Services Act (DSA) represents a landmark regulatory context aiming to secure a safer, trusted and more transparent digital environment. While the DSA establishes a harmonised regulatory framework for intermediary services across the EU, its enforcement system relies significantly on national regulatory authorities, leaving member states a degree of institutional autonomy in designing the supervisory structures. This article examines the implementation of the DSA in Cyprus and discusses the national legal framework adopted through primary and secondary legislation. It analyses the powers, legally mandated tasks, rights, and obligations of the digital services coordinator in Cyprus including its supervisory, investigatory, and enforcement competences as well as the sanctioning mechanisms. This article provides a comprehensive legal analysis of the coordinator’s operation and contributes to the academic debate on the national implementation of the DSA as a horizontal legal tool of intermediary services and digital platforms accessed by European citizens. Full article

Objective: To quantify the gap between oral cancer disease burden and public awareness in Germany, and to characterize research dissemination patterns across social media platforms. Methods: We conducted a multi-dimensional analysis integrating: (1) Robert Koch Institut cancer registry data for oral and maxillofacial malignancies (ICD-10: C00–C06) from 2015 to 2023; (2) Google Trends search interest for cancer-related German terms; (3) Altmetric data for 2581 PubMed-indexed oral cancer publications; and (4) sentiment analysis of 10,308 social media posts. Age-standardized incidence rates were calculated using the European Standard Population. Results: Over the study period, 65,757 oral cavity cancer cases were registered. Google Trends analysis revealed a 64% attention deficit for “Mundkrebs” (oral cancer; mean: 17) compared to “Brustkrebs” (breast cancer; mean: 47). Case numbers declined from 7577 (2019) to 6870 (2023; −9.3%), while age-standardized rates decreased by 15.5% (11.6 to 9.8 per 100,000), with males disproportionately affected (−17.7%). Research dissemination was dominated by X/Twitter (86.2%), with minimal policy document (0.3%) or clinical guideline (0.3%) citations. Sentiment analysis revealed 77% positive public reception. Regional analysis identified an East–West divide, with Eastern German states showing 22% higher search interest. Conclusions: A substantial public awareness deficit exists for oral cancer in Germany, paradoxically widening during a period of declining diagnoses potentially associated with COVID-19-related diagnostic delays. The positive public sentiment toward oral cancer research suggests a favorable environment for targeted awareness campaigns, particularly in Western German states where search interest is lowest. These findings have practical implications for designing regionally tailored awareness campaigns prioritizing anatomically specific terminology. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of such targeted interventions and assess whether post-pandemic diagnoses present at more advanced stages. Full article

Finding a sustainable approach to rainbow trout aquaculture is very important. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an experimental diet (D2) including artisanal fishery discards (whiting fish—Merlangius merlangus; tub gurnard—Chelidonichthys lucerne; horse mackerel—Trachurus trachurus) and feedstuffs from the fish farmer’s farmhouse (wheat and dehulled peas) in comparison to a control diet (D1) on the growth performance and fillet quality of rainbow trout—Oncorhynchus mykiss (initial mean body weight: 48 ± 3 g). In D2, fish oil was substituted with algal oil. The trial was performed in flow-through basins. An economic assessment was performed, considering the most important economic indicators, based on the cost of feed and the cost to obtain fish biomass, comparing D2 to D1. A final reduction in total ammonia nitrogen in D2 water (TAN; 0.28 ± 0.01 mg/L vs. 0.42 ± 0.03 mg/L for D2 and D1, respectively) was observed. No significant differences in growth performance were observed, although there was a slight difference in the Feed Conversion Rate. Use of algal oil as a dietary ingredient ensured high-quality omega-3 fatty acids in the fish fillets, with a significant improvement in the DHA content of D2 fish (1131.0 ± 1.8 mg/100 g) compared to their D1 counterparts (435.0 ± 0.5 mg/100 g). The economic analysis corroborates the benefit of using marine fish by-products as alternative protein sources for rainbow trout aquaculture, as the D2 feed has a lower formulation unitary cost (−15.4%) than the D1 feed, suggesting that in addition to their efficacy in growing fish, marine fish by-products are a valuable protein source from an economic standpoint. Since this experiment was implemented at the farm level, these outcomes suggest the diet can be realistically and sustainably applied in the European rainbow trout farming sector. Full article

The aim of the paper is to precisely identify the impact of regulatory quality and the rule of law on business demographic dynamics in European countries during the 2015–2024 period. The first aim is to provide a theoretical approach by reviewing aspects of the regulatory system in European countries and the most relevant studies on the issue. The second aim is to develop a linear regression model to evaluate the roles of regulatory quality and the rule of law during periods of economic volatility and changing business demographics in European Countries. The OLS estimation technique for panel data models will be chosen. The results support the hypothesis of an institutional convergence effect, indicating that regulatory quality and the rule of law significantly enhance net firm performance creation, but this impact is conditional on the level of economic development. The paper offers a useful perspective on the complex relationship between regulatory quality and the rule of law in advancing business demographics and promoting performance in the business environment, thereby adding to the existing literature. Full article

GPS GNSS position signal manipulation in shipping can lead to significant navigational challenges. Such disruptions may result from various factors, including atmospheric conditions, satellite malfunctions, or intentional positioning satellite signal disturbance. Impacts on shipping operations include delays, increased operational costs, and safety risks for crews and vessels. Understanding these disturbances and their implications is crucial for enhancing maritime safety and efficiency. Common causes of GNSS disturbances in shipping include atmospheric effects such as ionospheric and tropospheric delays, satellite signal obstructions due to terrain or buildings, satellite malfunctions or failures, and intentional interference like jamming. These factors can lead to inaccuracies in positioning, affecting navigation and safety. GPS signals are vulnerable to various cyber threats, including spoofing, jamming, and signal interference. Spoofing involves sending counterfeit GPS signals to mislead receivers, while jamming disrupts the legitimate signals. Ensuring the integrity and security of GPSs is crucial for applications like navigation, timing, and critical infrastructure. Advanced encryption and authentication methods can help safeguard the security of GPS signals. These vulnerabilities can have profound implications for navigation systems and critical infrastructure. Enhancing GPS security requires a combination of advanced technologies and policies to improve signal integrity and authentication processes. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the most widely used GNSS positioning method in commercial shipping. Moreover, deliberate disturbance technical birth mechanisms are similar across the field of GNSS systems. Therefore, this study focuses on the deliberate disturbance of the GPS, recognising the ability to upscale the research results to other commonly used GNSSs such as Beidou, Galileo, and Glonass. This paper introduces a behavioural approach to enhancing cybersecurity and preparedness to external threats in commercial shipping through European collaboration in the CyberSEA project. Full article

This paper aims to provide evidence of the impact on the minimum wage to employment in Greece over the period 2016 to 2024. The main contribution of this paper is the examination of the effects of the minimum wage during a period characterized by many difficulties and research interest not only nationwide but also across regions with high heterogeneity. The case of Greece is particularly interesting to study during this period as it provides a unique context to explore the effects of minimum wage increases on employment. Greece constitutes a distinctly singular case within the European context due to the exceptional structural characteristics of its labor market. Following a protracted economic crisis, successive waves of labor market reforms, and the additional disruptions generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Greece provides an illustrative, and in many respects unique, example of how extensive policy interventions interact with a gradually recovering economy and persistently elevated unemployment levels. Overall, the results strongly indicate that there is little to no impact of the minimum wage on employment and the findings vary considerably across the different regional contexts. Finally, the DiD methodology used supports the credibility of the findings and suggests that the lack of impact of the minimum wage is not due to model specification or timing bias. Full article