Sensors securing sustainable digital urban logistics—A practitioner’s perspective

AUTHOR=Knapskog Marianne, Browne Michael. TITLE=Sensors securing sustainable digital urban logistics—A practitioner’s perspective. JOURNAL=Frontiers in Future Transportation. VOLUME=3. YEAR=2022. URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffutr.2022.993411. DOI=10.3389/ffutr.2022.993411. ISSN=2673-5210The transport of goods, equipment and waste to, from, in and through urban areas (urban logistics) are essential for the economic vitality of the city but at the same time make urban environmental and social targets more difficult to achieve The European Green Deal and the UN Sustainability Goals also challenge the ways of addressing planning and management. At the same time Covid 19 has led to new challenges for urban logistics together with changes in consumer purchasing and travel patterns. Digitalisation offers new ways of collecting data and providing input to planning and modelling of urban logistics that might alleviate these challenges. This article addresses how digitalisation and especially sensors can contribute to new forms of data for analysis and play a role in developing sustainable digital urban logistics measures and plans through data collection and sharing. The research contains empirical insights from a survey and workshop in Norway. The results from the survey show that sensors are the digital solution that practitioners see as most useful for urban transport. This is supported by results from the workshop supporting a sensor scenario. When it comes to the digitalisation process, the practitioners expect that the different levels of government will facilitate digitalisation of urban logistics and most practitioners have the opinion that all levels of government should do more to facilitate new solutions Testing should take place as collaboration between private and public actors. Due to Covid 19 the government level is seen to have an important role for exchange of information and advice, and for giving economic incentives and support, rather than providing law and regulatory changes or the reorganisation of public services. The local level is considered to have an especially important role for digitalisation including data for modelling, planning or public procurement procedures. The article addresses these questions by reference to the partnerships for freight transport in London and Gothenburg. This article adds insights for planning practitioners into how sensors will challenge as well as provide new possibilities, to suggest new paths for planning and modelling urban logistics and an amplified role for freight partnerships.publishedVersio

Disrespectful or socially acceptable?-A nordic case study of cemeteries as recreational landscapes

Across Scandinavia, we witness an increased interest in making provisions for urban cemeteries to evolve as recreational landscapes. However, this development comes with its own set of challenges when uniting its pri-mary function as a place for disposal of human remains with active and passive urban recreation. In this paper, we explore varying perspectives on recreational use of cemeteries to give a nuanced picture of the possibilities and limitations for recreation at cemeteries in a multicultural society, most often positioned within a context of densifying urban areas. The empirical data consists of interviews with cemetery users (N = 24) from various faiths and belief systems in three towns in Norway and Sweden. Findings reveal that passive recreational ac-tivities like strolling, having a cup of coffee on a bench in the cemetery etc. are in general perceived as acceptable behaviour. However, opinions differ on 'active' undertakings like running, biking and walking a dog. How people perceive or use cemeteries is partly dependent on beliefs and cultural traditions, but other factors such as the purpose of using the cemetery for recreation and the type or character of the cemetery also impact the extent to which activities are perceived as appropriate or not. Respect and intensity are two key aspects that emerged in our analysis. The study concludes that the existing peaceful atmosphere at cemeteries should be preserved and nurtured. With correct design and zoning, some recreational activities can be integrated at cemeteries, benefiting both mourners and recreational visitors

Working Memory Training in Amnestic and Non-amnestic Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: Preliminary Findings From Genotype Variants on Training Effects

Working memory training (WMT) effects may be modulated by mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subtypes, and variations in APOE-epsilon (APOE-ε) and LMX1A genotypes. Sixty-one individuals (41 men/20 women, mean age 66 years) diagnosed with MCI (31 amnestic/30 non-amnestic) and genotyped for APOE-ε and LMX1A completed 4 weeks/20–25 sessions of WMT. Cognitive functions were assessed before, 4 weeks and 16 weeks after WMT. Except for Processing Speed, the non-amnestic MCI group (naMCI) outperformed the amnestic MCI (aMCI) group in all cognitive domains across all time-points. At 4 weeks, working memory function improved in both groups (p < 0.0001), but at 16 weeks the effects only remained in the naMCI group. Better performance was found after training for the naMCI patients with LMX1A-AA genotype and for the APOE-ε4 carriers. Only the naMCI-APOE-ε4 group showed improved Executive Function at 16 weeks. WMT improved working memory and some non-trained cognitive functions in individuals with MCI. The naMCI group had greater training gain than aMCI group, especially in those with LMX1A-AA genotype and among APOE-ε4-carriers. Further research with larger sample sizes for the subgroups and longer follow-up evaluations is warranted.publishedVersio

CEMI Ein Wegweiser für inklusive Friedhöfe und Krematorien in pluralistischen Gesellschaften

Die Schaffung von Friedhöfen, Krematorien und damit verbundenen Dienstleistungen, die auf Diversität ausgerichtet sind, ist ein integraler Bestandteil einer inklusiven multikulturellen Gesellschaft, der sich alle zugehörig fühlen können, in der auf die Bedürfnisse jedes/r Einzelnen eingegangen wird und in der mit allen Verstorbenen respektvoll umgegangen wird. Dieser Bericht stellt die Ergebnisse einer vom HERA-Programm finanzierten Studie über acht mittelgroße Städte in sechs nordwesteurop. Ländern vor: Cork (Rep. Irland), Drammen (Norwegen), Dundee (Schottland, GB), Leeuwarden und Maastricht (Niederlande), Luxemburg-Stadt (Luxemburg), Eskilstuna und Umeå (Schweden).Cemeteries and Crematoria as Public Spaces of Belonging In Europe10. Reduced inequalitie