Metal Content in Textile and (Nano)Textile Products

Metals, metallic compounds, and, recently, metallic nanoparticles appear in textiles due to impurities from raw materials, contamination during the manufacturing process, and/or their deliberate addition. However, the presence of lead, cadmium, chromium (VI), arsenic, mercury, and dioctyltin in textile products is regulated in Europe (Regulation 1907/2006). Metal determination in fabrics was performed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The ICP-MS procedure has been successfully validated; relative standard deviations were up to 3% and analytical recoveries were within the 90–107% range. The developed method was applied to several commercial textiles, and special attention has been focused on textiles with nanofinishing (fabrics prepared with metallic nanoparticles for providing certain functionalities). Arsenic content (in textile T4) and lead content (in subsamples T1-1, T1-2, and T3-3) were found to exceed the maximum limits established by the European Regulation 1907/2006. Although impregnation of yarns with mercury compounds is not allowed, mercury was quantified in fabrics T1-2, T5, and T6. Further speciation studies for determining hexavalent chromium species in sample T9 are necessary (hexavalent chromium is the only species of chromium regulated). Some textile products commercialised in Europe included in this study do not comply with European regulation 1907/2006.

Long-Aged Parmigiano Reggiano PDO: Trace Element Determination Targeted to Health

The concentrations of four health-related trace elements were measured using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy in long-ripened (24- and 40-months) Parmigiano Reggiano (PR) PDO cheese, obtained from both summer and winter milk. To date, there are limited data on PR trace element concentrations, and no data about long-ripened cheese, especially when ripened for 40 months. Thus, the aim of this investigation is to determine chromium, manganese, selenium, and zinc concentrations, improving the available data on these trace elements and increasing knowledge of the biological properties of PR linked to their content in this cheese. The results show that 40-month ripened PR is a source of selenium and chromium, according to definitions under the European Regulation 1924/2006, as a 30 g cheese portion contains 11 ± 2 μg (summer milk) and 10 ± 1 μg (winter milk) of selenium and 8 ± 1 μg (summer and winter milk) of chromium, providing in excess of 8.25 and 6 μg per portion, respectively. This represents 15% of nutrient reference intake values for adults. These findings allow for the claim to be made that PR possesses the health properties ascribed to food sources of selenium and chromium according to European Regulation 432/2012.

Public transport strategy: Minimal service vs. competitor to the car

With regard to public policy for public transport services, two dominant approaches are found: the provision of minimal services to the car-less population, or the provision of a service that competes directly with the car (in terms of time, cost, convenience, etc.). Increased acknowledgement of the need to mitigate traffic growth and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has led to a growing need to shift from the former to the latter, encouraging the use of public transport. This paper sets out to explore whether competitiveness with the car is a priority for the public transport planning of medium-sized European cities, as well as whether the change in European regulation (European Commission, 2007) has managed to contribute to the acceptance of this priority. In this study, we take a closer look at a country undergoing significant regulatory and procedural transformations. An exploratory analysis is conducted regarding plans, actions, and development projects in recent years in four Portuguese municipalities. Relevant planners and transport authorities are interviewed on matters such as how local policies and plans favor public transport; how the planning process was implemented; the actors involved; and the support tools used to achieve the established goals. The findings reveal that relative competitiveness of public transport is considered important by planning practitioners. Nevertheless, other concerns seem to be more timely, such as, providing minimal services, restructuring existing networks, and budget constraints. The results suggest that changes in the planning process have been overwhelming and are seen as restricting the steps required toward making public transport more competitive vis-à-vis the car. So far, local authorities recognize the potential of adding relative competitiveness concerns in the future, as well as the added value of planning support tools capable of revealing such relative competitiveness.

Nanoencapsulated PCM slurries for the development of thermoregulating gypsums

Gypsums with improved thermal properties have been obtained using a thermoregulatory nanocapsulated slurry (NPCS) as additive. In order to determine the effects of the slurries in the gypsum, physical, mechanical and thermal properties of the different composite materials (gypsum – polystyrene nanoparticles (PS) or nanocapsules (NPCM)) have been studied. Concentrated slurries from polystyrene nanoparticles without (PSS) and with encapsulated phase change material (NPCS) have been synthesized. Firstly, gypsum blocks made of nanoparticles/hemihydrate with mass ratios ranging from 0.0 to 0.42 have been produced from PSS, in order to determine the optimal weight ratio with the best mechanical/physical characteristics. Then, the thermal gypsum block from NPCM/hemihydrate has been prepared at the selected weight ratio. Although PS and NPCM addition reduces the mechanical properties, all the developed materials satisfied the mechanical European regulation EN 13279-2 which limits the mechanical characteristics of gypsums composites. The gypsum composites with PS nanoparticles presented a reduction of the thermal conductivity, so these materials can be used as insulating material. The gypsum composite with NPCM/Hem = 0.3 had an improvement in the thermal storage capacity of 88.76 % and seems to be a good alternative for applying the thermal energy storage technology in buildings.

Collective memory or the right to be forgotten? Cultures of digital memory and forgetting in the European Union

This article investigates cultures of digital memory and forgetting in the European Union. The article first gives some background to key debates in media memory studies, before going on to analyse the shaping of European Commission and European Union initiatives in relation to Google’s activities from the period 2004–present. The focus of inquiry for the discussion of memory is the Google Books project and Europeana, a database of digitized cultural collections drawn from European museums, libraries and archives. Attention is then given to questions of forgetting by exploring the tension between Google’s search and indexing mechanisms and the right to be forgotten. The article ends by reflecting on the scale of the shift in contemporary cultures of memory and forgetting, and considers how far European regulation enables possible interventions in this domain.

O Regulamento (UE) N° 536/2014 relativo aos ensaios clínicos de medicamentos para uso humano: oportunidades de inovação e desafios éticos

Objetivo: identificar os principais aspetos inovadores do Regulamento relativo aos ensaios clínicos de medicamentos para uso humano, em termos de oportunidades para a investigação e desenvolvimento e refletir sobre os desafios éticos deste novo quadro legal. Metodologia: estudo documental, descritivo, comparativo, do Regulamento face à Diretiva 2001/20/CE, e leitura de bibliografia publicada no PubMed, usando termos de pesquisa combinados ou simples como clinical, trials, European, Regulation, Directive, opportunities, challenges e innovation. Resultados: os principais aspetos inovadores identificados foram o Portal da União Europeia para submissão do dossiê do ensaio clínico e avaliação conjunta entre os Estados-Membros envolvidos num ensaio clínico; disponibilização pública de informação, resultados dos ensaios e um sumário de resultados para leigos; foram criadas a figura do copromotor, categorias de ensaios em função do risco; estabelecidos novos procedimentos para obtenção de consentimento informado e requisitos para uma maior proteção para os indivíduos mais vulneráveis; e definido o quadro normativo para a realização de ensaios clínicos em situação de emergência. Discussão: estão previstos procedimentos que visam contrariar a perda de competitividade da Europa, promovendo a inovação, alguns dos quais não estão isentos de questionamento ético. Conclusão: a simplificação, harmonização e maior transparência em todo o processo de submissão e condução dos ensaios clínicos tem o potencial de promover a investigação, mas traz alguns aspetos inquietantes em matéria de proteção dos participantes nos ensaios clínicos.

Monitoring of Paraquat in soya products intended for animal feed

Even though paraquat is considered to be one of the most toxic herbicides, it is one of the most used ones. Paraquat-based preparations are heavily used across many important agricultural countries and for a lot of types of crops such as soya. As soya is used in large quantities in the feed production, paraquat residues in soya products are a potential threat to livestock. The aim of this study was to investigate whether soya products intended for animal feed contain residues of paraquat. Therefore, an optimized Quick Polar Pesticides (QuPPe) Method was developed. In total, 174 samples were analyzed via LC-MS/MS using zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (ZIC-HILIC). The results showed that paraquat was detected in 66 % of the samples above 0.008 mg/kg. Residues were mainly present in soya bean meals that were imported from Brazil or the USA and cultivated using genetically modified soya. Around 5 % of the samples were not compliant with the European regulation on maximum residue levels of pesticides in or on food and feed. The results of this study support the view that paraquat residues play a significant role in soya products intended for animal feed and, thus, need to be controlled on a regular basis. However, for enforcement actions reliable processing factors for paraquat in soya products or maximum residue levels for processed soya products are urgently required.

Features of the Practical Application of the Institute of Forced Buyout of Animals

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the institution of force buyout of animals provided for under Art. 241 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The practical application of the buyout under consideration is associated with a number of difficulties, in particular, with the lack of a normatively fixed concept of a humane attitude towards animals and with the difficulty of determining the balance between inhuman attitude and cruelty. To analyze these concepts, the author turns to the Russian doctrine, judicial practice and European regulation, studies the concept of welfare and the fundamental five freedoms of animals. The paper also examines the relationship between the two elements of the institute of forced buyout named in the provisions of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation as the establishment of a violation by the owner of regulatory requirements in the field of handling pets and inhuman treatment. A separate issue, raised in the paper, is the procedure for determining the value of the repurchased animal by the court that must take into account all the applicant’s costs associated with the treatment of the animal after the buyout.

Regulating short-term rentals: Joined cases C-724/18 and C-727/18 Cali Apartments

The increase in short-term rentals via online platforms has captured the attention of scholars and regulators. Short-term letting is now considered a considerable alternative to traditional tourist accommodation contracts, challenging matters such as conditions in the housing market and consumer protection. Online platforms, such as Airbnb, Booking.com , Expedia and Tripadvisor, now provide offers for short-term accommodation contracts along with traditional accommodation options (hotels, hostels, apartments). The recent decision of the European Court of Justice in Joined cases C-724/18 and C-727/18 addresses for the first time the issue of regulation of short-term rentals in Member States and evaluates a national authorization scheme in light of the Services Directive. The present paper provides a brief background of European regulation affecting short-term rentals and discusses the judgment and its implications for future developments.