Chronic sleep disturbance among adult Canadians: Associations and implications to the evaluation of noise impacts under Canada's Impact Assessment Act

The Canadian Perspectives on Environmental Noise Survey was completed online by 6647 randomly selected Canadians 18 years of age and older between April 12 and May 25, 2021. The survey objective was to explore attitudes, perceptions, and expectations toward environmental noise in rural and non-rural Canada. The questionnaire assessed self-reported high sleep disturbance (HSD) in the previous year, at home. The prevalence of HSD was 7.8% overall. A list of potential sources of sleep disturbance was provided to the full sample, where 6.1%, 5.2%, and 3.0% reported HSD by noisy neighbors, road traffic noise and indoor noise, respectively. Stress/anxiety or worrying about something was selected most frequently at 12.9%. Finally, 7.6% and 5.5% reported pain/illness and partner's sleep disturbance, respectively, as sources of HSD. Reported HSD was significantly higher among respondents below 55 years of age, females, lower income groups, unemployed respondents, those on paid leave (sick, maternity, disability), and living in an urban area. Expectations of quiet, perceiving nighttime noise to have increased over time, high noise sensitivity, hearing and being highly annoyed by road traffic noise was also associated with an increased prevalence of reporting HSD. In contrast to hearing impairment and heart disease (including high blood pressure);rated physical health, mental health, anxiety/depression, and reporting a sleep disorder, were associated with increased HSD. The perceived affects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and annoyance toward environmental and indoor noise also influenced HSD. In the fully adjusted multivariate logistic regression model, the effect of age, gender, changes in nighttime noise, road traffic noise annoyance, noise sensitivity and sleep disorder remained statistically significant. The univariate and multivariate models showed a similar prevalence of HSD between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians. Results are discussed in relation to the provision of advice on sleep and health under Canada's Impact Assessment Act. © 2023

Environmental impact assessment of a newly developed solid oxide fuel cell-based system combined with propulsion engine using various fuel blends for cleaner operations

After the COVID-19 pandemic has spread throughout the world, many research institutions and industrial organizations are putting great efforts into producing environmentally friendly solutions for the transportation sector. This paper presents a newly developed combined solid oxide fuel cell system with a turbofan engine that can use five alternative fuels, such as dimethyl ether, methanol, hydrogen, methane, and ethanol, with different blending ratios to form five fuel blends. The proposed system is studied in this paper using exergoenvironmental analysis (which is known as environmental impact assessment by exergy) in order to quantify and evaluate the environmental impact. The combined turbofan has an exergetic efficiency of 82%, with total fuel and product exergy rates of 905 and 743 MW, respectively. The total environmental impact caused by emissions and exergy destructions has a range of 4000 to 9000 Pt/h for all the fuel blends. The specific exergoenvironmental impact values of electricity production vary from about 3 to 8 mPt/MJ for solid oxide fuel cells and 10 to 25 mPt/MJ for the three turbines. The exergoenvironmental impact of the thrust force is a minimum of 34 Pt/(h.kN) for the RF1 fuel and a maximum of 87 Pt/(h.kN) for the RF4 fuel. © 2022

Predicted and observed impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns: two Health Impact Assessments in Scotland and Wales.

Health Impact Assessment is a key approach used internationally to identify positive or negative impacts of policies, plans and proposals on health and well-being. In 2020, HIAs were undertaken in Scotland and Wales to identify the potential health and well-being impacts of the 'stay at home' and physical distancing measures implemented at the start of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. There is sparse evidence evaluating whether the impacts predicted in HIAs occur following policy implementation. This paper evaluates the impacts anticipated in the COVID-19 HIAs against actual observed trends. The processes undertaken were compared and predicted impacts were tabulated by population groups and main determinants of health. Routine data and literature evidence were collated to compare predicted and observed impacts. Nearly all health impacts anticipated in both HIAs have occurred in the direction predicted. There have been significant adverse impacts through multiple direct and indirect pathways including loss of income, social isolation, disruption to education and services, and psychosocial effects. This research demonstrates the value of prediction in impact assessment and fills a gap in the literature by comparing the predicted impacts identified within the HIAs with observed trends. Post-COVID-19 recovery should centre health and well-being within future policies and decisions. Processes like HIA can support this as part of a 'health in all policies' approach to improve the health and well-being of populations.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an approach used to identify positive or negative impacts of policies, plans and proposals on health and well-being. In 2020, HIAs were undertaken in Scotland and Wales to identify the potential health and well-being impacts of the 'stay at home' and physical distancing measures (commonly called 'lockdown') which were put in place at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper evaluates whether these assessments were correct in their predictions. It finds that most of the health impacts anticipated in both assessments have occurred. These include significant impacts on income, employment and mental health. Using HIAs can help policymakers to take full account of these wider impacts on health and develop policies that benefit health and health equity.

The Processing goes far beyond "the app"- Privacy issues of decentralized Digital Contact Tracing using the example of the German Corona-Warn-App

Since SARS-CoV-2 started spreading in Europe in early 2020, there has been a strong call for technical solutions to combat or contain the pandemic, with contact tracing apps at the heart of the debates. The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires controllers to carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) where their data processing is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms (Art. 35 GDPR). A DPIA is a structured risk analysis that identifies and evaluates possible consequences of data processing relevant to fundamental rights in advance and describes the measures envisaged to address these risks or expresses the inability to do so.Based on the Standard Data Protection Model (SDM), we present the results of a scientific and methodologically clear DPIA. It shows that even a decentralized architecture involves numerous serious weaknesses and risks, including larger ones still left unaddressed in current implementations. It also found that none of the proposed designs operates on anonymous data or ensures proper anonymisation. It also showed that informed consent would not be a legitimate legal ground for the processing. For all points where data subjects' rights are still not sufficiently safeguarded, we briefly outline solutions. © 2022 IEEE.

Smart Customer Experience of ESG Education Capability Building Roadmap for Smart Consulting, Reporting and Engaging for Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Goals

Cultivating talents for executing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities is increasingly essential for the education sector. It is because the social and ecological resilience of the human society depends on guiding human development towards sustainability. To prepare future professionals to manage climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic recovery challenges, the article proposes several ESG educational models, based on and design workshop outcomes using stakeholder analysis and the ESG and carbon neutrality research. Three partner maps for ESG consulting, reporting, and engaging have been developed, with special attention on the use of digital technologies to manage carbon emission for green and just transitions. Based on these maps, a model 'Smart Customer System on Carbon Information' is proposed. The model highlights the importance of collaboration across professions such as management, accounting, public administration, public relations, communications, business intelligence, and data sciences, resulting in an integrated capability building roadmap among stakeholders. Future education practices and research must advance and facilitate the overall 'smart customer journey' of carbon emission reporting in order to account for ESG records for a net-zero carbon-neutral future, with the help of information and communication technologies. © 2021 IEEE.

Safety project installation at Gold Fields Ghana

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT : About 35 mine vehicles were equipped with Hexagon's Operator Alertness System Heavy Vehicle (OAS-HV) at the Damang Mine in Ghana's Western Region. "Hexagon shares Gold Fields' vision of a safer, more connected mine," said Andrew Crose, VP-Autonomous, Hexagon's Mining division. "We're proud to be part of Damang's push for zero harm and appreciate their collaboration in such a successful deployment," Crose added. After a successful pilot project completed in late 2020-early 2021, full deployment of OAS-HV proceeded smoothly despite ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions. The recent opening of Hexagon's Accra office and its staff of engineers and project managers ensured full collaboration with Gold Fields' teams, resulting in a high-quality project delivered on time and within budget. "The opening of our Accra office embodies Hexagon's strategy of being closer to the customer, ensuring expert staff are in-country to professionally perform onsite services," Crose explained

Children’s rights impact assessments in times of crisis: learning from COVID-19

Policy responses to COVID-19 have illuminated how children and young people’s human rights were all too often side-lined by adult concerns. With mounting queries during the first ‘lockdown’ in Scotland (March 2020), the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland asked the Observatory of Children’s Human Rights Scotland to undertake an independent Children’s Rights Impact Assessment of COVID-19 emergency public health measures on children and young people in Scotland. The resulting analysis proved not only productive for immediate policy advocacy but had broader lessons about how states parties can respect, protect and fulfil children and young people’s human rights at times of crisis and disaster. This requires challenging adult approaches and orientations to policy, so all of children and young people’s rights to provision, protection and participation are met, especially groups of children and young people who may be at particular risk of rights’ violations. This editorial outlines the process and substantive learning from the independent CRIA, from a range of experts, including children and young people. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Human Rights is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Impact Assessment for Data Network's Rehabilitation. Case of Ecuador

Access to the Internet is necessary to ensure equity for the right to education. However, about 75% of school-age children in rural areas of the world do not have access to the Internet at home. In the Ecuadorian context, only 5.1% of the rural population uses the Internet in public/state schools. Therefore, actions are necessary to reduce the digital gap to improve the quality of education in rural communities in Ecuador. An initiative of IEEE Ecuador, with the support of IEEE SIGHT and the Municipality of Nabón, allowed the rehabilitation of a data network in 40 schools in the Nabón community in 2020. This paper examines the impact of the project, through of the collection of quantitative and qualitative data through stakeholder surveys, to evaluate the impact of data network rehabilitation in the community during the first year of operation. The results show that the Internet in schools has improved the quality of education for students, has allowed children and young people to have access to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has decreased the dropout rate in the benefited schools. The Internet service in schools has also allowed families to save money and entertain themselves. The paper also reports on the evaluation of the social impact of the project, through a Social Return On Investment (SROI) analysis. © 2021 IEEE.

COVID-19 Impact Assessment of Energy Consumption on Kerala State Electricity Board Power Utility Grid

Electricity demand have dropped sharply in general as governments around the world executed the lockdown restrictions. The load compositions and the daily load profiles have also changed. Utilities are basically engaged in providing various power requirements accordingly for different types of tariffs. The various tariffs are applicable to consumers like Domestic, Industry, Agriculture, Government sources, Commercial, Public lighting etc. The COVID-19 Pandemic have affected the energy consumption of various tariff categories in different ways. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic deprived most of the Industrial and Commercial establishments of their functioning, their energy consumption drastically came down whereas the domestic energy consumption increased. This paper attempts to compare assess the energy consumption data of various categories during the pandemic period and how it has affected the Utilities sale of KSEB Power Utility Grid. © 2021 IEEE.

Digital Utilities for Sustainable Constructions at Landfills Supporting Safe Community Health Infrastructures and Humanity Protection in Risk at post COVID-19 era

The current study presents useful digital monitoring tools for environmental impact assessment, sustainable development, safe infrastructures related to sustainable tourism, heritage and cultural tourism monuments, archaeological sites, water resources sports tourism sites, ecological landscape tourism sites close to landfill sites. Useful tools are presented for stakeholders examining particular digital utilities for decision making to mitigate toxic hazardous probable landfill gas's atmospheric pollution concentrations from landfill sites. In this paper are presented useful digital utilities as a framework of an integrated community health policy to support safe construction designs and proper monitoring schemes for public health protection and efficient economic designs. Integrated public health policy is presented within useful digital utilities applying proper management techniques for monitoring landfill emissions and decision making protecting community health and public health. Useful results are presented for sustainable construction facilities next to landfill sites that promote sustainable tourism, cultural - heritage tourism, sports tourism, ecological tourism and safety of associated community health infrastructures at post COVID-19 era within renewable resources from treated landfill emissions, green circular economy, clean technologies. © 2021 IEEE.

Digital Transformation Utility for Landfill Gas Emissions and Safety of Infrastructures: Risk Management Public Health Policy for Safe Community Health Tourism's Infrastructures at Post COVID-19 Era

This paper analyses the role of useful digital monitoring utilities in terms of environmental impact assessment, sustainable development, safe health tourism construction infrastructures at post COVID - 19 era and public health protection from landfill gas emissions. Useful analysis is taken into account based on useful digital imaging utilities combined with hydraulics analysis so as to mitigate toxic hazardous concentrations at landfill sites. In this paper are presented safe biodegradation designs and proper monitoring schemes for public health protection and efficient economic designs. Integrated health policy is presented within useful digital transformation utilities and management techniques for monitoring landfill emissions protecting public health. Useful results are presented for the safety of particular community health tourism units, safe sports physical activities for all and sustainable tourism infrastructures at post COVID-19 era. © 2021 IEEE.