Distribution and mobility of 137Cs in soil from the cathcment area of Vefsna

The primary source of 137Cs in Norway is the Chernobyl accident, and several decades after the accident, there is still a substantial amount in the environment. The area of Hattfjelldal, within the catchment area of the river Vefsna, is situated in the southern parts of the county Nordland, which was especially affected. In the present work, soil samples were taken from two different sites, Nerlifjellet and Groalia in the area of Hattfjelldal, based on knowledge about the relatively high activity of 137Cs in this area and the differences in soil composition. The samples from the two soil types were analysed to investigate any differences in distribution of 137Cs, binding and mobility of 137Cs as well as stable 133Cs, and if any differences could be connected to differences in soil components. The soil was collected using a soil corer and divided based on the top 3 cm and visible layers. For Groalia, the 0-3 cm layer was further divided based on a visible mineral layer (2-3 cm) and an organic layer (0-2cm). The soil layers from Nerlifjellet were characterized with 13- 97% organic material, compared to Groalia with 5-40%. The pH was similar dissimilar. A grain size analysis for the layers with an organic matter content of < 20% show that the mineral soil in Nerlifjellet consist of mainly sand (73%) while the mineral soil from Groalia mainly consisted of silt (39-57%). The activity concentration of 137Cs was identified to be 200-900 Bq/kg dry soil from Nerlifjellet, depending on the soil layer, while for the soil from Groalia it was 36-1300 Bq/kg. The activity density per cm of 137Cs in the soil from Nerlifjellet was identified to be 1.0-1.1 Bq/m2 per cm, depending on the soil layer. For the soil from Groalia, the activity density of 137Cs per cm was 0.19-6 Bq/m2 per cm. For the soil from Nerlifjellet, 137Cs were more evenly distributed through the soil core than for the soil from Groalia, where 137Cs were mainly found in the upper 3 cm of the soil core (86%). Based on this, 137Cs seem to be more mobile in the soil from Nerlifjellet than the soil from Groalia, which was suggested to be connected to the difference in content of organic material. A sequential extraction of several of the layers from both sites indicate that 133Cs was bound stronger in the soil with <40% organic material compared to soil with more organic material. This supported the idea that the 137Cs most likely are leaching in a larger degree from the more organic soil in Nerlifjellet than from the more mineral containing soil in Groalia and thus transported more to underlying layer in the soil. The activity concentration of 137Cs in fractions from the grain size analysis was measured and the result showed a higher activity concentration of 137Cs in the clay fraction than in the other fractions and an activity concentration 9-30 times higher than the bulk sample. In the mineral layers 137Cs was mainly bound to the silt and clay fractions (52-97%) and in minor to sand (<33%). Comparing the two sites, the proportion of 137Cs in the clay fraction for the 7.5-13 cm layer from Nerlifjellet was lower than for the 8-13 cm layer from Groalia. This was suggested to be due to a lower amount of clay in the layer from Nerlifjellet. Although a large fraction of sand and silt can be present in the soil, result indicate that a higher amount of clay decreases the likelihood of 137Cs binding to sand or silt due to the high affinity of 137Cs onto clays. Results highlight that it is essential to identify the content of organic material and clay content in soil to understand the mobility of 137Cs in soils and the probability for remobilisation of 137Cs in runoff.Hovedkilden til 137Cs i Norge er Tsjernobyl ulykken og selv flere tiår etter finnes det betydelige menger i naturen. Hattfjelldal, som befinner seg i nedbørsfeltet til elven Vefsna, ligger i den sørlige delen av Nordland og ble spesielt berørt. I dette arbeidet ble jordprøver tatt fra to forskjellige lokasjoner, Nerlifjellet og Groalia i Hattfjelldal, basert på kunnskap om relativt høy aktivitet av 137Cs og forskjeller i jord sammensetning. Prøvene fra de to jordtypene ble analysert for å undersøke om det var noen forskjeller i distribusjon av 137Cs, binding og mobilitet av 133Cs i tillegg til 137Cs og om noen forskjeller kunne knyttes til jord sammensetning. Jordprøvene ble tatt ved å bruke en jordbor og delt basert på de øverste 3 cm og ellers basert på to synlige jordlag. For jorden fra Groalia ble 0-3 cm laget delt i to basert på et synlig mineral lag (2-3 cm) og et organisk lag (0-2 cm). Jordlagene fra Nerlifjellet hadde 13-97% organisk material, mens jordlagene fra Groalia hadde 5-40%. Det ble også funnet forskjeller i pH. En kornfordelingsanalyse gjennomført for de jordlagene med <20% organisk materialet viste at mineraljord fra Nerlifjellet først og fremst besto av sand (73%) mens mineraljorden fra Groalia i hovedsak besto av silt (39-57%). Aktivitetskonsentrasjonen til 137Cs i jord fra Nerlifjellet ble identifisert til å være mellom 200 og 900 Bq/kg tørr jord avhengig av jordlaget, mens for jorden fra Groalia var aktivitetskonsentrasjonen mellom 36 og 1300 Bq/kg. Aktivitetstettheten, per cm, til 137Cs i jorden fra Nerlifjellet ble identifisert til å være 1.0-1.1 Bq/m2 per cm, mens for jorden fra Nerlifjellet var dette mellom 0.19 Bq/m2 og 6 Bq/m2 per cm. I jorda fra Nerlifjellet var 137Cs fordelt mer jevnt nedover i jorda enn i jorda fra Groalia, hvor 137Cs i hovedsak ble funnet i de øverste 3 cm (86%). Basert på dette kan det tyde på at 137Cs er mer mobil i jorden fra Nerlifjellet enn i jorden fra Groalia, noe som var foreslått at var knyttet opp mot forskjeller i mengde organisk material. En sekvensiell ekstraksjon av flere av jordlagene fra begge prøvelokasjonene indikerte at 133Cs var bundet sterkere i jord med mer organisk materiale. Dette støttet ideen om at 137Cs lekker i en større grad fra den organiske jorden fra Nerlifjellet enn den mer mineralholdige jorda fra Groalia og derfor blir transportert lenger ned i jorden. Aktivitetskonsentrasjonen til 137Cs i jordfraksjonene fra kornfordelingsanalysen ble målt og resultatet viste en større aktivitetskonsentrasjon av 137Cs i leirefraksjonen enn de andre fraksjonene og en aktivitetskonsentrasjon som var 9-30 ganger høyere enn aktivitetskonsentrasjonen av 137Cs i den ubearbeidede prøven. I minerallagene var 137Cs i hovedsak bundet til silt og leirefraksjonene (53-97%) og i mindre grad bundet til sandfraksjonen (<33%). Sammenligning av prøver fra Groalia og Nerlifjellet viste at andelen av 137Cs i leirefraksjonen var lavere i 7.5-13 cm laget fra Nerlifjellet enn i 8-13 cm laget fra Groalia. Det ble foreslått at dette kunne knyttes til en lavere mengde leire i jorden fra Nerlifjellet. Selv om en det kan være en stor mengde sand og silt i jorda, indikerte resultatene at en større mengde leire påvirker sannsynligheten for binding av 137Cs til sand og silt negativt. Dette kan være på bakgrunn av leirens høye affinitet for 137Cs. Resultatene viser at det er essensielt å identifisere mengden av organisk materiale og leire i jorda for å kunne forstå mobiliteten av 137Cs i jord og sannsynligheten for remobilisering av 137Cs i avrenning.M-LU

Customer journeys

The customer journey concept concerns the process of service provision from the customer perspective. Here, the service process is analyzed in terms of its concrete customer interactions, so called touchpoints, typically with reference to how these impact customer experience. There has been a steep increase in interest in the customer journey concept since its emergence in industry and government practices in the 1990s, and the use of customer journey approaches is considered a core competency in customer experience management across public- and private sector service provisioning. In recent research on customer journeys, emphasis has been put on how to explore and map existing customer journeys, how to understand service failure and recovery, and how customer experience develops across the customer journey. In this entry we provide an overview of the customer journey concept and related terms, current approaches to applying customer journeys, and relevant future research directions.acceptedVersio

“My Heart Jumped. Do I Have Cancer?”—Results of a Co-design Study with Cervical Cancer Screening Participants

Cervical cancer can be prevented by routinely taking cell samples from the cervix (screening). The frequency of screening is a crucial factor, and there is great potential to utilize the registry data from the cervical screening program for the benefit of both the screening participants and their doctors. However, with the constant emergence of new types of tests and guidelines, not only screening participants but also their doctors may become uncertain about what the test results mean and what follow-up procedures should be in place. The goal of this study was to explore how to present test results to participants in a way that supports optimal screening frequency without causing unnecessary worry. This chapter presents the results of co-design workshops engaging women in the target group. Through the use of personas, trigger questions, and trigger material, we explored the group’s current barriers and information needs. In all, 19 paper prototypes were produced during the workshops. Through a content analysis of the workshop material, we derived user requirements for a future digital tool intended to support optimal participation in the cervical screening program. We also report on lessons learned, threats to validity, and future research.acceptedVersio

Evaluation of a Tool to Increase Cybersecurity Awareness Among Non-experts (SME Employees)

Humans are the weak link in cybersecurity, hence, this paper considers the human factor in cybersecurity and how the customer journey approach can be used to increase cybersecurity awareness. The Customer Journey Modelling Language (CJML) is used to document and visualise a service process. We expand the CJML formalism to encompass cybersecurity and develop an easy-to-use web application as a supporting tool for training and awareness. We present the results from the usability test with ten persons in the target group and report on usability and feasibility. All participants managed to finish the test, and most participants indicated that the tool was easy to use. By using the tool, non-expert users can make user journey diagrams showing basic conformance in a short time without professional training. For the threat diagram, half of the users achieved full conformance. In conclusion, the tool can serve as low-threshold cybersecurity awareness training for SME employees. We discuss th e limitations and validity of the results and future work to improve the tool’s usability.publishedVersio

Designing a Modeling Language for Customer Journeys: Lessons Learned from User Involvement

Although numerous methods have been formalized for handling the technical aspects of developing domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs), user needs and usability aspects are often addressed in ad hoc manners and late in the development process. Working in this context, this paper presents the development of the customer journey modeling language (CJML), a DSML for modeling service processes from the end-user's perspective. CJML targets a wide and heterogeneous group of users, making it especially challenging regarding usability. This paper describes how an industry-relevant DSML was systematically improved by using a variety of user-centered design techniques in close collaboration with the target group and how their feedback was used to refine and evolve the syntax and semantics of CJML. We also suggest how a service-providing organization may benefit from adopting CJML as a unifying language for documentation purposes, compliance analysis, and service innovation. Finally, we generalize the experience gained into lessons learned and methodological guidelines.acceptedVersio

The HORM Diagramming Tool: A Domain-Specific Modelling Tool for SME Cybersecurity Awareness

Improving security posture while addressing human errors made by employees are among the most challenging tasks for SMEs concerning cybersecurity risk management. To facilitate these measures, a domain-specific modelling tool for visualising cybersecurity-related user journeys, called the HORM Diagramming Tool (HORM-DT), is introduced. By visualising SMEs’ cybersecurity practices, HORM-DT aims to raise their cybersecurity awareness by highlighting the related gaps, thereby ultimately informing new or updated cyber-risk strategies. HORM-DT’s target group consists of SMEs’ employees with various areas of technical expertise and different backgrounds. The tool was developed as part of the Human and Organisational Risk Modelling (HORM) framework, and the underlying formalism is based on the Customer Journey Modelling Language (CJML) as extended by elements of the CORAS language to cover cybersecurity-related user journeys. HORM-DT is a fork of the open-source Diagrams.net software, which was modified to facilitate the creation of cybersecurity-related diagrams. To evaluate the tool, a usability study following a within-subject design was conducted with 29 participants. HORM-DT achieved a satisfactory system usability scale score of 80.69, and no statistically significant differences were found between participants with diverse diagramming tool experience. The tool’s usability was also praised by participants, although there were negative comments regarding its functionality of connecting elements with lines.publishedVersio

Involving users in the development of a modeling language for customer journeys

Although numerous methods for handling the technical aspects of developing domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) have been formalized, user needs and usability aspects are often addressed late in the development process and in an ad hoc manner. To this concern, this paper presents the development of the customer journey modeling language (CJML), a DSML for modeling service processes from the end-user’s perspective. Because CJML targets a wide and heterogeneous group of users, its usability can be challenging to plan and assess. This paper describes how an industry-relevant DSML was systematically improved by using a variety of user-centered design techniques in close collaboration with the target group, whose feedback was used to refine and evolve the syntax and semantics of CJML. We also suggest how a service-providing organization may benefit from adopting CJML as a unifying language for documentation purposes, compliance analysis, and service innovation. Finally, we distill what we learned into general lessons and methodological guidelines.publishedVersio

Cybersecurity Awareness and Capacities of SMEs

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly exposed to cyber risks. Some of the main reasons include budget constraints, the employees’ lack of cybersecurity awareness, cross-sectoral cyber risks, lack of security practices at organizational level, and so on. To equip SMEs with appropriate tools and guidelines that help mitigate their exposure to cyber risk, we must better understand the SMEs’ context and their needs. Thus, the contribution of this paper is a survey based on responses collected from 141 SMEs based in the UK, where the objective is to obtain information to better understand their level of cybersecurity awareness and practices they apply to protect against cyber risks. Our results indicate that although SMEs do apply some basic cybersecurity measures to mitigate cyber risks, there is a general lack of cybersecurity awareness and lack of processes and tools to improve cybersecurity practices. Our findings provide to the cybersecurity community a better understanding of the SME context in terms of cybersecurity awareness and cybersecurity practices, and may be used as a foundation to further develop appropriate tools and processes to strengthen the cybersecurity of SMEs.publishedVersio

Digital oppfølging og støtte for personer med multippel sklerose. Erfaringer fra prosjektet MS-DOS

MS-DOS er et forprosjekt som undersøker muligheter for at personer med multippel sklerose (MS) og relevante helseaktører kan ta i bruk digitale hjelpemidler for bedre oppfølging, behandling og mestring av sykdommen. Målet for MS-DOS er å samle informasjon om hvilke utfordringer personer med MS opplever på grunn av sin sykdom, og vurdere i hvilken grad digitale verktøy kan gjøre livet bedre for denne gruppen. Denne rapporten gir et overblikk over helsetilbudet til personer med MS. Deretter presenteres resultater fra en dybdestudie hvor vi følger tre personer med MS over en periode på seks uker. Metoden vi har brukt er observasjon og intervjuer, samt kartlegging av planlagte og reelle pasientforløp ved hjelp av Customer Journey Modelling Language. Rapporten presenterer til slutt muligheter for bruk av digitale støtteverktøy, og forslag til videre studier Oppdragsgiver: Helsedirektoratet ved Innome

Communicating service offers in a conversational user interface - An exploratory study of user preferences in chatbot interaction

This is the authors' version of a late-breaking work paper presented at OzCHI 2020. The reference for the version of record is: Følstad, A. & Halvorsrud, R. (2020). Communicating Service Offers in a Conversational User Interface - An Exploratory Study of User Preferences in Chatbot Interaction. In Proceedings of OzCHI '20: 32nd Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. ACM, New York, NY. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3441000.3441046The increased interest in chatbots accentuates the importance of conversational design. A key conversational design challenge concerns how to communicate available service offers to users. We present an exploratory study, conducted in the context of financial service provision. Here, we first detailed four alternative approaches to communicate available service offers, reflecting different levels of proactivity. We then gathered feedback on user preference through interviews with 17 users following their interactions with prototypes representing the four approaches. Proactivity in the communication of service offers was found to be potentially valuable, provided that the offer is relevant to the conversation, do not compromise conversational efficiency, and is easy to discard. However, proactive communication of service offers may also entail challenges concerning perceptions of privacy and invasiveness, and, hence, needs to be designed with great care. Based on our findings, we summarize implications for theory and practice and propose directions for future research.acceptedVersio