Towards Sustainable Conservation and Use of Materials in Built Environments

Up until today, no comprehensive efforts have been made, and principles are yet to be established for the ‘sustainable conservation’ of the built environment – in an inter- and transdisciplinary manner, including systematic integrative modelling and an appreciation of the inherent values of already existing structures and ambiences. Existing built structures and environments are still often seen as obstacles for sustainable development. It may be argued that a more preventive and integrated approach, i.e. an early estimation and a meta-level understanding of the built environment and its processes; its critical loads, inherent qualities, values, threats, life cycles, production chains, recyclability and quantities etc., would rather promote any kind of planning for a sustained future and the proper use of materials by hindering unnecessary material flows - i.e. through their unnecessary/unsympathetic production, exploitation and/or use, that would minimise their negative impact on peoples lives and the environment. This alternative and more preventative approach - earlier the predominant way of handling urban planning, construction and development (i.e. the production and utilisation of both existing and planned for resources, e.g. by the use of high quality production technologies and crafts, processes and skills), was historically much based on the valorisation of costs of manpower, materials, traditional knowledge, techniques and low-energy modes of transportation, compared to modern circumstances. There was also a profound knowledge of economics in more general terms and a well-developed forecasting of future scenarios. Given the demands for a sustained future, it would be reasonable to assume that this knowledge and approach would have a great deal to offer also to the planning and epistemological modelling of our times

Establishing initial user requirements for PAM-AID: a mobility and support device to assist frail and elderly visually impaired persons

The PAM-AID project aims to build an intelligent, indoor mobility aid for frail and elderly visually impaired people which will provide both physical and navigational support for walking. The objective is to allow users to retain their personal autonomy and also to take independent exercise. The project involves ongoing user involvement and evaluations of the developing product. The project has five distinct phases: (1) user requirements elicitation, (2) rapid prototyping, (3) construction of a demonstrator, (4) user and carer training, and (5) system validation. This paper reports on the first two phases of the project

To Develop Viable Human Factors Engineering Methods for Improved Industrial Use

Human factors engineering methodology is important for design of complex systems, such as control rooms and distributed control systems. Available methodologies are however seldom adapted to industrial needs, which limits the use of the existing human factors engineering research base. In this paper we argue that human factors engineering methods have to be developed and adapted to the engineer working under industrial project constraints. Otherwise human factors engineering is unlikely to achieve a broad industrial impact. The paper suggests how the industrial viability of methods can be improved by applying a use centered approach to method development

Mixotrophy in a Local Strain of Nannochloropsis granulata for Renewable High-Value Biomass Production on the West Coast of Sweden

A local strain of Nannochloropsis granulata (Ng) has been reported as the most productive microalgal strain in terms of both biomass yield and lipid content when cultivated in photobioreactors that simulate the light and temperature conditions during the summer on the west coast of Sweden. To further increase the biomass and the biotechnological potential of this strain in these conditions, mixotrophic growth (i.e., the simultaneous use of photosynthesis and respiration) with glycerol as an external carbon source was investigated in this study and compared with phototrophic growth that made use of air enriched with 1–2% CO2 . The addition of either glycerol or CO2-enriched air stimulated the growth of Ng and theproduction of high-value long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA) as well as the carotenoid canthaxanthin. Bioassays in human prostate cell lines indicated the highest antitumoral activity for Ng extracts and fractions from mixotrophic conditions. Metabolomics detected betaine lipids specifically in the bioactive fractions, suggesting their involvement in the observed antitumoral effect. Genes related to autophagy were found to be upregulated by the most bioactive fraction, suggesting a possible therapeutic target against prostate cancer progression. Taken together, our results suggest that the local Ng strain can be cultivated mixotrophically in summer conditions on the west coast of Sweden for the production of high-value biomass containing antiproliferative compounds, carotenoids, and EPA