Can mobile eco-systems for technical innovations be standardized? The case of mobile wallets and contactless communication

This paper puts focus on the application of Near Field Communication technology (NFC) to mobile payments. Uncertainties about global policies open for a variety of local business policies. Taking into account different representations of actor interaction as described by different eco-systems by different policy forums the main research question to be discussed in the paper is: Can policies or standards describing actor roles and responsibilities for technical innovations like mobile payments remove obstacles for introduction of the innovation? Different types of industry forums are not only involved in strictly technical matters but also discuss and describe visions about how a new technique might be applied in business life. They suggest different business architectures, (not only a technical architecture), where roles of different type of actors and relations between actors are outlined based on ideas about so called eco-systems. Against this background the paper first discusses how NFC enabled mobile payments currently attracts a lot of attention and identifies four possible development paths making it happen. The paper discusses and compares how global policy networks describe the technical and business architectures for mobile payments. The paper uses a business practice analytical framework and an industrial network framework to identify major problems in connecting global and local policies. Some comments on further research finalize the paper. --Near Field Communication,mobile payments,global policy,business architecture,policy forum,industrial networks,practice

Phenotyping of E. coli serotypes associated to oedema disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Oedema disease is a severe disease, mainly affecting recently weaned pigs. It is caused by <it>E. coli </it>strains that express fimbriae F18 and produce verotoxin 2e, mainly belonging to serotype O138, O139 or O141. The aim of this study was to compare <it>E. coli </it>isolates within these serotypes with respect to diversity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Faecal <it>E. coli </it>strains belonging to serotypes O138, O139 and O141 isolated during the period 1994–1998 from Swedish pigs aged less than 12 weeks were compared using a biochemical fingerprinting system. Aiming to compare the results obtained over time, also strains isolated during 1964–67 and 1975–80 were included in the study. The study comprised 129, 263 and 95 isolates of <it>E. coli </it>serotype O138, O139 and O141, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Biochemical phenotypes (BPTs) were defined. At each sampling occasion each herd could only contribute with one isolate per BPT. Consequently, all but one of identical BPTs identified at a specific sampling occasion was omitted. The final number of isolates from 1994–98 that was compared included 64, 182 and 41 isolates of serotypes O138, O139 and O141, respectively. Within each serotype, the dominating BPT included over 65% of the compared isolates, demonstrating a large dominance of one BPT per serotype. These dominating BPTs were also demonstrated in the material from the 1960ies and the 1970ies. Still, the presence of other common BPTs (especially within serotype O138 and O139) demonstrated a certain variation within serotype. In a herd severely affected by oedema disease, <it>E. coli </it>serotype O139 was easily demonstrated in diseased pigs but only rarely in apparently healthy weaners</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results obtained demonstrate the presence of dominating BPTs within the oedema disease inducing serotypes. A stability of these BPTs over time was observed, presumably at least partly due to a never-ending access to naïve pigs. Still, the presence of other common BPTs indicates a variation over time, which visualises the importance of monitoring for this. Such studies should focus on pigs affected by oedema disease, because oedema disease inducing strains of <it>E. coli </it>were only rarely demonstrated in healthy pigs in a herd affected by oedema disease.</p

A Conceptual Landscape-Level Approach to Assess the Impacts of Forestry on Biodiversity

In this study, we propose a conceptual approach to assessing biodiversity impacts in the life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of forest wood production with a focus on Nordic managed forests at the landscape level. As a basis for our methodology, we suggest assessing the proportion of the total land area of productive forest under the control of a forest owner that fulfils certain criteria that can be regarded as having a positive impact on the development of forest biodiversity. A similar assessment of the forest management performed on the surrounding land is used to define a site-specific reference situation. In the context of an attributional LCA, the suggested method for the specification of business-as-usual (BAU) or environmental quality objectives (EQO) baselines encourages forest owners to choose forest management options that increase the proportion of productive forest land with properties that are more favorable to biodiversity over time. We illustrate the BAU baseline approach with two examples in Sweden to calculate the biodiversity impact from wood production for individual forest owners using four biodiversity indicators from the Swedish national Environmental Quality Objectives (EQOS)-'Living Forests'. The approach defined in this study is at this stage only applicable to forestry assessments. Using a BAU baseline approach similar to that used for international climate reporting is a simple but novel approach that makes use of consensuses that have already been drawn and approaches that have already been established

Serum concentrations of Thymidine kinase 1 measured using a novel antibody-based assay in patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma

Background: Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is an intracellular protein associated with DNA synthesis, expressed during the G1 phase and remained elevated through the M phase, with a potential as a biomarker for cell proliferation. In this study, we explore the possible use of TK1 in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).Methods: Serum concentrations of TK1 (S-TK1) were measured in 46 newly diagnosed HL patients using prospectively collected biobanked serum samples. The samples were analyzed using a novel antibody-based TK1 immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: The concentrations of S-TK1 were elevated in HL patients compared with healthy controls (median 0.32 mu g/L vs. 0.24 mu g/L, P = 0.003). A further increase in S-TK1 was observed during the treatment. The S-TK1 concentrations were higher in patients with advanced stage disease, low B-Hb, elevated P-LD and in those with B-symptoms. A high ESR correlated with low S-TK1.Conclusions: The study results suggest that S-TK1, measured using a novel antibody-based assay, has the potential to be a biomarker in HL. However, while S-TK1 levels are elevated at baseline compared with healthy controls, a limited number of patients and comparatively short follow-up time render reliable -conclusions difficult

Validation of the complexity index method at three manufacturing companies

In order to manage increasing numbers of product variants, tools that can reduce or manage production complexity are vital. The paper describes CompleXity Index (CXI), an index-based method and tool that assess the complexity and difficulty of work at an industrial workstation. CXI was validated at three Swedish manufacturing companies studying the correctness of the calculation, usage as a prediction tool and the view of different roles. In all three cases, CXI was seen as a useful tool to evaluate the operator-perceived complexity of a workstation

Feeling controlled or being in control? Apps for self-management among older people with neurological disability

Purpose: The aim of this paper was to describe how people living with a neurological disability such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and stroke reason regarding using apps to facilitate self-management in everyday life.Material and methods: A qualitative research approach with a focus group methodology was used. The sample comprised 16 participants, 11 men and 5 women, with an average age of 64 years (ranging from 51–80 years). Six participants were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, six with Parkinson’s disease and four with stroke. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which is a method for identifying, analyzing and reporting patterns.Results: The results formed two themes. The first theme “using apps to have control of my health” comprises two subthemes; “monitor and take responsibility for a healthy lifestyle” and “compensate to facilitate everyday life”. The second theme “using the app as a tool and means for communication” also comprised two subthemes; “dare to trust the app” and “feeling safe when sharing information with health care professionals”.Conclusions: The use of apps put increased responsibility on the person and had the possibility to make them more involved in their own care. The use of an app can facilitate a healthy lifestyle and help to monitor disease-specific symptoms. In order to be able to use apps for communication with the health care sector legislation and safety issues need to be considered. Implications for rehabilitation Apps can be used for self-management if they are safe and can be trusted. People with neurological disabilities want to be involved in their healthcare and needs to be addressed by health care professionals. The use of apps grasp over a wide variety of areas this is something that may be considered in health care and something that can be addressed by interdisciplinary approaches. Ordinary health-oriented apps and disease-specific apps were used differently and for different purposes

14C emission from Swedish nuclear power plants and its Eeffect on the 14C levels in the environment

The radionuclide 14C is produced in all types of nuclear reactors mainly by neutron-induced reactions in oxygen (17O), nitrogen (14N) and carbon (13C). Part of the 14C created is continuously released during normal operation as airborne effluents in various chemical forms (such as CO2, CO and hydrocarbons) to the surroundings. Because of the biological importance of carbon and the long physical half-life of 14C, it is of interest to measure the releases and their incorporation into living material. The 14C activity concentrations in annual tree rings and air around two Swedish nuclear power plants (Barsebäck and Forsmark) as well as the background 14C activity levels from two reference sites in southern Sweden during 1973-1996 are presented in this report. In order to verify the reliability of the method some investigations have been conducted at two foreign nuclear sites, Sellafield fuel reprocessing plant in England, and Pickering nuclear generating station in Canada, where the releases of 14C are known to be substantial. Furthermore, results from some measurements in the vicinity of Paldiski submarine training centre in Estonia are presented. The results of the 14C measurements of air, vegetation and annual tree rings around the two Swedish nuclear power plants show very low enhancements of 14C, if at all above the uncertainty of the measurements. Even if the accuracy of the measurements of the annual tree rings is rather good (1-2%) the contribution of 14C from the reactors to the environment is so small that it is difficult to separate it from the prevailing background levels of 14C. This is the case for all sampling procedures: in air and vegetation as well as in annual tree rings. Only on a few occasions an actual increase is observed. However, although the calculations suffer from rather large uncertainties, the calculated release rate from Barsebäck is in fair agreement with reported release data. The results of this investigation show that the effective doses to man related to the releases of 14C from the Swedish light-water reactors at Barsebäck and Forsmark are very low, especially compared to the situation at other nuclear installations, such as the fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield, England, and the heavy-water reactors at Pickering nuclear generating station, Canada. Lund/Malmö February 200

MEETINGS – THE INNOVATIVE GLUE BETWEEN THE ORGANISATION SYSTEM AND INFORMATION SYSTEM

The research presented aims for enhanced utilization of human skills, collaboration, and information sharing. This paper concerns the production context, and the needs and challenges of people striving for high-quality, innovative, and efficient work. The paper presents a model of the information system (IS) and organisations system (OS) and their integration. Main conclusions are that these systems overlap, and create an innovative working arena for the different working processes. People with knowledge gather into meetings held for different purposes supported by technical systems. These meetings provide a core element for efficient and innovative collaboration, requiring parallel development of IS and OS