Injuries After Selection Harvesting in Multi-Stored Spruce Stands– The Influence of Operating Systems and Harvest Intensity

Mechanical injuries were examined after single-tree selection harvesting in multi-storied stands of Norway spruce. Randomised block studies were used to compare the effect of two operating systems and three harvest intensities upon the injury rate to the residual stand. The average injury rate for mechanised shortwood harvesting was higher than for motor-manual cutting and cable skidding. The largest differences between these two systems were found at high harvest intensities in densely stocked stands. A number of variables were used to quantify this interaction. The variable which best explained the risk for injury in the individual stand was the ratio between removed vertical crown projection and horizontal crown-free projection before harvest. The higher injury rate for mechanised harvesting is attributed to the greater proportion of the stand which is impacted by the handling of trees

Augmented Reality with Industrial Process Tomography: To Support Complex Data Analysis in 3D Space

Today, in-situ analyzing and monitoring are imperative for ensuring successful and healthy industrial processes in confined environments. With the rapid development of digitization, augmented reality (AR) has been utilized for letting people immersively interact with the necessary information. However, there are still knowledge gaps between AR technique and domain users pertaining to effective analysis of complex data. Hence, new solutions empowering domain users would benefit the whole industry. In this study, we report an initial prototype supporting complex data visualization and analysis in entire 3D surroundings within industrial process tomography (IPT). Microsoft HoloLens 2 is equipped for users to interact with the 3D information characterizing the workflow of the industrial process with high immersion. Our work distinctly improves the performance compared to existing solutions, pointing the way towards how AR should be deployed and developed more efficiently for aiding IPT systems

Virtuality or Physicality? Supporting Memorization Through Augmented Reality Gamification

Augmented reality (AR) is evolving to become a pervasive tool for interacting with virtual objects. We conducted a comparative study to explore the impact of virtuality and physicality in supporting human memorization through gamification. A head-mounted display (HMD) AR memory matching game and a corresponding physical version game with paper boards were harnessed. The proof-of-concept version was demonstrated in an initial user study (n=12) with counterbalancing design to determine that our proposed gamified HMD AR system with virtuality could support better human memorization compared to the physical version game in reducing task time, improving usability, becoming more recommendable, and decreasing cognitive task workload. The study was then followed by quantitative analysis of the respective four metrics: game completion time (GCT), system usability scale (SUS), recommendation level, and NASA task load index (TLX). A brief qualitative analysis is presented. The results show that in our case, the virtuality outperformed the physicality in supporting human memorization in a gamified context through HMD AR in an evident range

Productivity development of Norwegian institutions of higher education 2004 - 2013

Studies of productivity growth of institutions of higher education is of interest for two main reasons; education is an important factor for productivity growth of the economy, and in countries where higher education is funded by the public sector accountability of resource use is of key interest. Educational services consist of teaching, research and the "third mission" of dissemination of knowledge to the society at large. A bootstrapped Malmquist productivity change index is used to calculate productivity development for Norwegian institutions of higher education over the 10 year period 2004-2013. The confidence intervals from bootstrapping allow part of the uncertainty of point estimates stemming from sample variation to be revealed. The main result is that the majority of institutions have had a positive productivity growth over the total period. However, when comparing with growth in labour input the impact on productivity vary a lot

Reproductive decisions of couples living with HIV in Malawi: What can we learn for future policy and research studies?

Background:  The rapid scale-up of free antiretroviral therapy has lead to decline in adult mortality at the population level and reduction of vertical transmission. Consequently, some couples living with HIV are maintaining their reproductive decisions; marrying and having children. This paper analyses policies and guidelines on HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health in Malawi for content on marriage and childbearing for couples living with HIV.Methods:  A qualitative study using interpretive policy analysis approach was conducted from July to December 2010 in two phases. First, data on access to HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services were collected using in-depth interviews with twenty couples purposively sampled in matrilineal Chiradzulu and patrilineal Chikhwawa communities. Secondly,data were collected from Malawi policies and guidelines on HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health. The documents were reviewed for content on marriage and childbearing for couples living with HIV. Data were analysed using framework approach for applied policy analysis.Results: Four categories emerged from each phase. From the study, we extracted health workers attitudes, weak linkage between HIV, AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services, contradictory messages between media and the hospitals and lack of information as factors directly related to guidelines and policies. Analysis of guidelines and policies showed nonprescriptiveness on issues of HIV, AIDS and reproduction: they do not reflect the social cultural experiences of couples living with HIV. In addition, there is; lack of clinical guidelines, external influence on adoption of the policies and guidelines and weak linkages between HIV and AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services.Conclusion: This synthesis along with more detailed findings which are reported in other published articles, provide a strong basis for updating the policies and development of easy-to-follow guidelines in order to effectively provide services to couples living with HIV in Malawi

Productivity of tax offices in Norway

The performance of local tax offices of Norway is studied over a three-year period using Data Envelopment Efficiency analysis and calculating Malmquist productivity indices. One input, labour, is used, and six output categories of the main service activities carried out by tax offices are specified. A bootstrap approach recently developed for DEA models is applied to establish confidence intervals for the individual indices enabling an identification of units that have either significant productivity decline or growth, or no change. A specially developed graphic display gives a visual test and grouping into the three possible categories. Looking at change in labour use and productivity change together the productivity development of individual offices is classified into the four categories efficient labour increase, efficient labour savings, inefficient labour savings and inefficient labour increase

Chemistry of lakes in the Nordic region - Denmark, Finland with Åland, Iceland, Norway with Svalbard and Bear Island, and Sweden

This report presents the first common evaluation of water chemistry in the Nordic countries (except for the Faroe Islands and Greenland): Denmark, Finland including Åland, Iceland, Norway including Svalbard and Bear Island, and Sweden. The Nordic countries exhibit large gradients in many chemical constituents in lake water, from Iceland in the west, Svalbard and Bear Island in the north via Denmark to Sweden, Finland and Norway, due to large differences in geology, hydrology, vegetation and air pollution. The data are interpreted relative to these factors

Estimating Uranium Partition Coefficients from Laboratory Adsorption Isotherms

An estimated 330 metric tons of uranium have been buried in the radioactive waste Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). An assessment of uranium transport parameters is being performed to decrease the uncertainty in risk and dose predictions derived from computer simulations of uranium fate and transport to the underlying Snake River Plain Aquifer. Uranium adsorption isotherms have been measured in the laboratory and fit with a Freundlich isotherm. The Freundlich n parameter was statistically identical for 14 sediment samples. The Freundlich Kf for seven samples, where material properties have been measured, is correlated to sediment surface area. Based on these empirical observations, a model has been derived for adsorption of uranium on INEEL sedimentary materials using surface complexation theory. The model was then used to predict the range of adsorption conditions to be expected at the SDA. Adsorption in the deep vadose zone is predicted to be stronger than in near-surface sediments because the total dissolved carbonate decreases with depth