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GDS;VJ Tech ; 4th European Conference on Unsaturated Soils, E-UNSAT 2020 -- 19 October 2020 through 21 October 2020 -- -- 164161 ; 2-s2.0-85097164780 ; In soil stabilisation, the use of alternative products to lime or cement has been proposed. However, the effects of these additives, of various origins, on soil behaviour and stabilizing mechanisms are not well understood. Thus, the aim of this paper is to characterize the modification of the mechanical behaviour and microstructure of two soils after treatment with one of those product, a vinyl based copolymer. After treatment, both materials were compacted up to their maximum dry density. The mechanical behaviour of the materials as a function of the curing conditions, suction and water content was first determined. In a second step, the alteration of the microstructure by the treatment product was assessed. The results showed that the treatment permitted to significantly improve the strength of the tested soils. Moreover, the efficiency of the product increases when the soil is dried. However, the Young modulus is not significantly modified by the treatment. Microstructural reorganization after co-polymer addition has been detected by SEM technique for kaolin samples, whereas no modification have been observed for silt samples. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences 2020. ; Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, H2020 H2020 Marie Sk?odowska-Curie Actions, MSCA: 778120 ; The project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 778120.

Objectives Italy is in third place in the world ranking for the production of table grapes with 1.4 million tons. The Puglia region produces about 70% of this amount through the cultivation of 35,000 hectares. This production takes place with the aid of the "tendone system" which is a structure consisting of wooden or concrete piles, and steel cables. This structure supports the plastic covering materials that can be fixed anti-hail nets and / or mobile rolling films. The "tendone systems" utilize plastic coverings material in order to obtain anticipated (transparent film), conventional (anti-hail plastic net), postponed productions (plastic net and plastic film). The knowledge of environmental loads generated by the table grape production is interesting because, in addition to normal agricultural practices, involves the use of other materials from the technosphere and specific installation practices. The aim of this work is the analysis of the environmental profile of the orchard construction phase for table grapes by means LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). A research project that involved 26 farms producing table grapes, allowed collecting relevant data concerning the production cycles, the technique of construction, the materials used for "tendone systems". Methods This study uses the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to determine the environmental impact of a table grapes production with the use of "tendone-systems", carried out according to standard UNI EN ISO 14040-44. Life Cycle Assessment can be a decision making tool for government officials, industries or society to evaluate a product's environmental impact. Interview in farms have supplied the primary data for the inventory of this production. The Gabi7 software and Ecoinvent 3.1 database were used for inventory and processing of collected data. The analysis covered only the phase of installation of the tendone-system (from cradle to installation analysis). The adopted functional unit was 1.0 ha of prepared agricultural surface for growing table grapes, covered with a tendone-system. Results The method of evaluation of environmental burdens was CML2001 (Centre of Environmental Science, Leiden, Netherlands). The results have provided the environmental burdens produced by the construction and installation of the tendone-system. A comparison between the tendone-system for the conventional production (plastic nets), anticipated (transparent film), and postponed (plastic net and plastic film) productions was also realized. The increased amount of plastic used for the cover and the relative disposal causes greater environmental burdens. The carried out analysis is the first step in the overall evaluation of the production of table grapes by means of tendone-system.

This is the final version. Available from MDPI via the DOI in this record. ; Data Availability Statement: Some of the data used to support the findings of this study can be made available from the corresponding author upon request. ; This study investigated the improvement in the behaviour of a clay soil due to the addition of alkali-activated fly ash as a stabilising agent, and the effects of different activation factors such as alkali dosages and silica moduli. The alkali activator solution used was a mixture of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. Class F fly ash was used as the precursor material for the geopolymerisation process. Soil samples stabilised with non-activated class F fly ash were prepared and tested to compare the results with samples stabilised with alkali-activated fly ash. Compaction tests, unconfined compressive strength tests, X-ray diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy analysis were carried out on samples cured 1, 7, and 28 days at room conditions. The results showed that the compressive strength of stabilised soil significantly increased when the fly ash was activated. The optimal activation parameters to stabilise the soil were found to be alkali dosages in the range of 12% to 16% and a silica modulus of 1.25. The highest compressive strength recorded was at 1293 kPa with an alkali dosage of 16% and a silica modulus of 1.25, while for the non-stabilised soil, it was at 204 kPa at 28 days of curing. Mineralogical analysis showed a decrease in the peak intensities of kaolinite and illite, while microstructural analysis indicated an alteration in soil texture with the addition of the alkali-activated fly ash. ; European Union's Horizon 2020 ; Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE)

Background Evidence is accumulating on the impact of the recent economic crisis on health and health systems across Europe. However, little is known about the effect this is having on physicians - a crucial resource for the delivery of healthcare services. This paper explores the adaptation to the crisis of public sector physicians and their ability to keep performing their functions, with the objective of gaining a better understanding of health workers' resilience under deteriorating conditions. Methods We conducted a survey among 484 public primary care and hospital physicians in Portugal's capital city area and explored their perceptions of the crisis, adaptation and coping strategies. We used ordinal and logistic regression models to link changes in hours worked and intentions to migrate with physicians' characteristics and specific answers. Results We found little evidence of physicians changing their overall allocation of working time before and after the crisis, with their age, types of specialisation, valuation of job flexibility and independence significantly associated with changes in public sector hours between 2010 and 2015. Being divorced, not Portuguese, of younger age, and working a high number of hours per week, were found to increase the probability of physicians considering migration, the same as having a poor opinion of recent government health policies. On the other hand, enjoying their current working environment, not wanting to disrupt provision of service, and leisure time were found to protect against scaling down public sector hours or considering migration. Conclusions Our work on Portuguese physicians contributes to the debate on health workers' resilience, showing the value of understanding the influence of personal characteristics and opinions on their adaptation to changing circumstances, before designing policies to improve their working conditions and retention. ; publishersversion ; published

This research was supported by the University of Zürich, the University Research Priority Program Functional Genomics/Systems Biology, a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sport (PR2011-0152) to promote the mobility of senior lecturers and researchers to highly qualified centers abroad, and a Prime XS project (PRIME-XS-000252), grant agreement number 262067, funded by the European Union 7th Framework Program. We thank Hans-Peter Schöb for administrative and logistic support, and Sybille Hirsch for advice on the transcriptome experiments.

Background: Economic recessions carry an impact on population health and access to care; less is known on how health systems adapt to the conditions brought by a downturn. This particularly matters now that the COVID-19 epidemic is putting health systems under stress. Brazil is one of the world's most affected countries, and its health system was already experiencing the aftermath of the 2015 recession. Methods: Between 2018 and 2019 we conducted 46 semi-structured interviews with health practitioners, managers and policy-makers to explore the impact of the 2015 recession on public and private providers in prosperous (São Paulo) and impoverished (Maranhão) states in Brazil. Thematic analysis was employed to identify drivers and consequences of system adaptation and coping strategies. Nvivo software was used to aid data collection and analysis. We followed the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research to provide an account of the findings. Results: We found the concept of 'health sector crisis' to be politically charged among healthcare providers in São Paulo and Maranhão. Contrary to expectations, the public sector was reported to have found ways to compensate for diminishing federal funding, having outsourced services and adopted flexible–if insecure–working arrangements. Following a drop in employment and health plans, private health insurance companies have streamlined their offer, at times at the expenses of coverage. Low-cost walk-in clinics were hit hard by the recession, but were also credited for having moved to cater for higher-income customers in Maranhão. Conclusions: The 'plates' of a health system may shift and adjust in unexpected ways in response to recessions, and some of these changes might outlast the crisis. As low-income countries enter post-COVID economic recessions, it will be important to monitor the adjustments taking place in health systems, to ensure that past gains in access to care and job security are not eroded.