This article presents a legal and comparative analysis of the potential threat to aviation safety posed by the excessive use of lasers, questioning whether lasers are mere toys or a significant peril ...to aviation operations. Despite their seemingly innocent nature, lasers have the potential to pose a serious risk to flight operations and associated air traffic. The study aims to comprehend the varied approaches of different countries in regulating laser usage and assess the effectiveness of their measures in preventing potential incidents. The comparative legal analysis focuses on selected countries, including Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, as representative examples. The article delves into the identification of existing regulations governing the purchase, possession, and usage of lasers, particularly concerning their potential impact on aviation. Additionally, it highlights disparities in legislative approaches and the measures undertaken by states to control and mitigate the threat.
Hydroelectric power plants managed in response to sub-daily changes of the electricity market undergo rapid variations of turbine discharge, entailing quickly fluctuating water levels downstream. ...This operation regime, called hydropeaking, causes numerous adverse impacts on river ecosystems. The hydrological alterations which affect hydropeaking rivers can be described by five parameters that change over space and time (magnitude, rate of change, frequency, duration, and timing), where each parameter may be correlated with distinct environmental impacts and therefore may be used to define flow thresholds and set targets for operational mitigation strategies. Thus, this study aims to present an extensive review on the so far established hydropeaking targets and thresholds regarding the outputs from the scientific community as well as from national regulations. We found that only few European countries (Switzerland and Austria) have legal regulations regarding hydropeaking flow thresholds. Other countries, such as Canada and the USA, present environmental legislation that can force hydropeaking mitigation measures. Most mitigation thresholds and management recommendations in literature deal with the effect of downramping on the stranding of salmonids, as well as with minimum flows between peak-flows to avoid spawning ground desiccation. Regarding other fish species and parameters, information on mitigation targets or thresholds is scarcer or non-existent, as well as on hydropeaking mitigation case-studies, resulting in a lack of knowledge and guidelines for its implementation or regulation. Nevertheless, the available literature indicates that multiple aspects must be considered when assessing such values. Thus, to aid in that process, we propose that mitigation targets and thresholds must be based on key species, including particular features regarding season, life-stage and time of day, which must be combined with site-specific morphological characteristics. The presented approach may benefit impacted organism groups in hydropeaking reaches through the establishment of ecologically-based relevant mitigation thresholds and/or targets.
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•It is stringent to develop ecologically-based criteria for hydropeaking mitigation.•In this review we consolidate hydrological mitigation thresholds for hydropeaking.•Literature present thresholds for different hydropeaking ecological impacts.•Few countries provide legal regulations regarding hydropeaking flow thresholds.•We present a variables approach for designing hydropeaking mitigation targets.
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum, non-selective herbicide used to control weeds and protect agricultural crops, and it is classified as potentially carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research ...on Cancer. In Mexico, the use of pesticides is a common practice, including glyphosate. However, on December 31st, 2020, the Mexican government decreed the prohibition of this herbicide as of January 2024. In this review, we investigate the association between glyphosate and cancer risk and found that most of the studies focused using animals showing negative effects such as genotoxicity, cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity, some studies used cancer cell lines showing proliferative effects due to glyphosate exposure. To our knowledge, in Mexico, there are no scientific reports on the association of glyphosate with any type of cancer. In addition, we reviewed the toxicological effects of the herbicide glyphosate, and the specific case of the current situation of the use and environmental damage of this herbicide in Mexico. We found that few studies have been published on glyphosate, and that the largest number of publications are from the International Agency for Research on Cancer classification to date. Additionally, we provide data on glyphosate stimulation at low doses as a biostimulant in crops and analytical monitoring techniques for the detection of glyphosates in different matrices. Finally, we have tried to summarize the actions of the Mexican government to seek sustainable alternatives and replace the use of glyphosate, to obtain food free of this herbicide and take care of the health of the population and the environment.
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•Glyphosate negatively impacts health and ecosystems.•In Mexico there are few investigations on glyphosate, therefore it is difficult to estimate the effect on human health.•Agroecological alternatives to replace glyphosate may be a short-term solution.
Dietary supplements can provide the necessary nutrients for groups of people who need them, but their use comes with a few risks, such as excessive or unwarranted utilization, side effects, unwanted ...interactions, and the promotion of unhealthy behaviors or neglecting professional health care. This cross-sectional study analyzed 49 TV advertisements on three major news channels in Romania regarding their compliance with European and national laws concerning the advertisement of dietary supplements. A list of criteria was extracted from the current laws in Romania and was used to check the video promotional materials’ compliance systematically. Despite more than half of the commercials complying with the technical criteria, it was found that a concerning amount of advertisements targeted people with various or specific pathologies, while a third of the ads included non-compliant words or representations associated with pathologies and medical professionals or institutions. As a practical implication, the study suggests a need for more consistent and closer surveillance of dietary supplement commercials broadcasted in the Romanian media.
Nowadays acrylamide is known not only as synthetic material used in industry, but also as carcinogenic, cyto- and genotoxic compound which forms during heat-induced process (due to Maillard reaction) ...mostly in foodstuff such as potato, bakery, plant derivatives products and coffee. The International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1994 declared acrylamide as a probable carcinogenic agent in humans. After metabolic process, acrylamide is distributed to all organs and tissues in human body. Acrylamide is classified as human neurotoxin, because this effect was observed in humans occupationally exposed to this compound. Acrylamide was found to cause apoptosis by mitochondrial dysfunction. Methods of acrylamide inactivation by microorganisms and bioactive diet compounds have also been reviewed. Moreover, there is still deficit of the European Union legal regulation concerning acrylamide mitigation strategies in food. Regulation 2017/2158 from 20 November 2017 is a step in the right direction when it comes to ensuring food safety and maximum levels of acrylamide in foodstuffs, however when exceeding those, it should result in elimination of such food from the market.
The stability of municipal revenues is crucial for long-term socio-economic planning at the city level. This paper presents the impact of changes in legal regulations mandating the transformation of ...perpetual usufruct into ownership on preferential terms. Using micro-level information on transactions and plots handed over in perpetual usufruct for single-family housing, we determined potential losses in the City of Poznan caused by the new regulations. The research uses mass appraisal models to assess the fees related to the land value of properties affected by the legal transformation, scenario analysis, and Monte-Carlo simulation to evaluate the consequences of the change in the regulation in the long run. The simulation results indicate that the municipalities are deprived of relatively stable revenues after the reform. In Poznan, we assess that the net present value of revenue losses ranged from −327.3 mln PLN to −419.6 mln PLN (74.6 % to 92.9 % reduction of the baseline revenues, respectively). Incorporating provisions allowing the perpetual usufruct of developed land to be converted to housing is less financially beneficial for municipalities than for perpetual usufruct holders. Additionally, it significantly manages municipal strategic control of local development within the city and reduces municipal land resources. The research attempts to narrow the gap in knowledge about the role of land leases in municipal revenues.
•The regulations introduced by the Law on Perpetual Usufruct Transformation of 2018 are financially disadvantageous for municipalities.•In the long run, the decrease in revenues will most likely cause a sub-optimal expenditure reduction and, to some extent, will lower the quality of local public utility services.•Reducing municipal land resources significantly limits local development and the scope of public utility services.
Changes in legal regulations cause that moving in them can cause difficulties. Regulations scattered throughout various legal and normative acts or in the act itself may be problematic. This also ...affects people who are educated at Doctoral Schools. Situations in which the doctoral student is not sure of his status or the possibilities he can obtain financial resources may be problematic. The presented fragment of the semantic network is to be a tool that allows free navigation through the legal regulation regarding education at the doctoral school. Ultimately, the presented semantic network is a template that specific regulations of a given doctoral school can supplement.
E-tourism has become a key component in the tourism industry and allows travelers to easily access information about destinations and services via the Internet, facilitating their travel planning ...process. Through e-tourism, travelers can research destinations, plan trips, book accommodations, purchase transportation tickets, and explore tourist attractions through online resources. Also, this area helps tourism businesses to effectively promote their services, communicate with clients and manage reservations. E-tourism represents the integration of information and communication technologies in the tourism sector. This concept encompasses the application of digital technologies such as the Internet, mobile applications, online reservation systems, web platforms and social media to improve aspects of travel and tourism. The legal foundation of educational procedures utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms in e-tourism holds significant importance because of the multitude of potential legal complexities and obstacles that could emerge. The Republic of Serbia, like many other countries, is working on improving its regulations in order to enable the development of e-tourism and at the same time ensure the protection of the interests and safety of travelers.
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