Background: A scientific framework on exposure science will boost the multiuse of exposure knowledge across EU chemicals-related policies and improve risk assessment, risk management and communication across EU safety, security and sustainability domains. Objective: To stimulate public and private actors to align and strengthen the cross-policy adoption of exposure assessment data, methods and tools across EU legislation. Methods: By mapping and analysing the EU regulatory landscape making use of exposure information, policy and research challenges and key areas of action are identified and translated into opportunities enhancing policy and scientific efficiency. Results: Identified key areas of actions are to develop a common scientific exposure assessment framework, supported by baseline acceptance criteria and a shared knowledge base enhancing exchangeability and acceptability of exposure knowledge within and across EU chemicals-related policies. Furthermore, such framework will improve communication and management across EU chemical safety, security and sustainability policies comprising sourcing, manufacturing and global trade of goods and waste management. In support of building such a common framework and its effective use in policy and industry, exposure science innovation needs to be better embedded along the whole policymaking cycle, and be integrated into companies’ safety and sustainability management systems. This will help to systemically improve regulatory risk management practices. Significance: This paper constitutes an important step towards the implementation of the EU Green Deal and its underlying policy strategies, such as the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.

The established cryptographic asymmetric methods are not prepared for possible attacks by a quantum computer and quantum algorithm. The challenge is to define new cryptographic primitives, quantum computer resistant security protocols and processes.

Exposure information is a critical element in various regulatory and non-regulatory frameworks in Europe and elsewhere. Exposure science supports to ensure safe environments, reduce human health risks, and foster a sustainable future. However, increasing diversity in regulations and the lack of a professional identity as exposure scientists currently hamper developing the field and uptake into European policy. In response, we discuss trends, and identify three key needs for advancing and harmonizing exposure science and its application in Europe. We provide overarching building blocks and define six long-term activities to address the identified key needs, and to iteratively improve guidelines, tools, data, and education. More specifically, we propose creating European networks to maximize synergies with adjacent fields and identify funding opportunities, building common exposure assessment approaches across regulations, providing tiered education and training programmes, developing an aligned and integrated exposure assessment framework, offering best practices guidance, and launching an exposure information exchange platform. Dedicated working groups will further specify these activities in a consistent action plan. Together, these elements form the foundation for establishing goals and an action roadmap for successfully developing and implementing a ‘European Exposure Science Strategy’ 2020–2030, which is aligned with advances in science and technology.

This contribution presents a new interrogation technique for serial fiber optical sensor networks. A hybrid codedivision multiplexing (CDM)-wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) scheme allows interrogating 2000 serial fiber-Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in a network with a length of 50 m. Furthermore, an interrogation of 477 sensors over a length of 150 m is shown. The work focuses on influences given by the above-mentioned sensor networks, such as reflectance, multiple reflections and overlapping FBG spectra, as well as on specifications of used equipment. Since CDM relies on orthogonal codes, an autocorrelation function of a code is presented that suits for the interrogation of the previous mentioned sensor networks. A simulation of the interrogation scheme allowed for the study of the overall sensor network performance and the impact of its different components. The promising results were reproduced in a testbed. Furthermore, strain calibration measurements showed a high level of accuracy. The proposed hybrid CDM-WDM interrogation scheme can deal with sensor network lengths from a few meters to the range of a few kilometers with massive numbers of freely distributable sensors in the fiber. It is a promising approach in the field of FBG based optical sensing.

Structural health monitoring and other smart structures gain an increased attention which can be satisfied by the quasi-distributed optical sensing approach. Serial fiber optic sensors, such as fiber-Bragg gratings (FBGs) provide among others small size, immunity to electro-magnetic interference, an accurate sensing accuracy and a high multiplexing capability to increase the amount of sensing points in an optical sensor network. Different multiplexing approaches demonstrated a limited number of FBGs, such as time-division multiplex, optical frequency domain refractometry or frequency shifted interferometry. This work introduces a code-division multiplex (CDM) - wavelength-division multiplex (WDM) interrogator for massive serial FBG sensor networks. The interrogation of 4000 serial sensors in a network with a length of 113m, 200 identical WDM sections over a length of 200m and a network with 1000 sensors and a length of 1.6km show a massive multiplexing capability of up to 16000 sensors and possible network lengths of several kilometers. Strain measurements with FBGs in rear sections prove the sensing applicability of the CDM-WDM scheme.

Human activity is attracting a lot of research activity in several fields including the use of wireless sensors, positioning technologies and techniques, embedded computing, remote sensing and energy management among others. There are a number of applications where the results of those investigations can be applied, including ambient intelligence to support human activity, particularly the elderly and disabled people. Ambient intelligence is a new paradigm for the information and communications technologies where the electronic/digital environment takes care of the people presence and their needs, becoming an active, adaptive and responsive environment. The research activity on the creation of active environments which are sensitive to the presence of people and their particular activity is gaining a great relevance due to the potential benefits which offers to improve the quality of life. The invention and deployment of those environments includes the design and implementation of appro ...