Deformationer hos trä under tryck vinkelrätt fiberriktningen i kombination med fuktvariationer.

As multi-storey buildings with wooden framework are being build, constructors are faced with problems like, for instance, deformation of the wood, that is barely noticeable in a smaller house, but significant in larger buildings. Largest deformations of the wood occur w hen wood with a high original moisture content is loaded perpendicular to the grain and simultaneous allo w ed to dry, for instance in a connection between a load bearing wall and a wood joist floar. In this master thesis such a connection is studiedin a number of longand short time tests, where the original moisture content is varied. The test results show that the deformations in larger buildings can be significant if the wood is not allowed to dry Iong enough before it is loaded. (Swedish

A call for action: Improve reporting of research studies to increase the scientific basis for regulatory decision-making

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)This is a call for action to scientific journals to introduce reporting requirements for toxicity and ecotoxicity studies. Such reporting requirements will support the use of peer‐reviewed research studies in regulatory decision‐making. Moreover, this could improve the reliability and reproducibility of published studies in general and make better use of the resources spent in research.Nordic Council of Minister

A proposed framework for the systematic review and integrated assessment (SYRINA) of endocrine disrupting chemicals

Background - The issue of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is receiving wide attention from both the scientific and regulatory communities. Recent analyses of the EDC literature have been criticized for failing to use transparent and objective approaches to draw conclusions about the strength of evidence linking EDC exposures to adverse health or environmental outcomes. Systematic review methodologies are ideal for addressing this issue as they provide transparent and consistent approaches to study selection and evaluation. Objective methods are needed for integrating the multiple streams of evidence (epidemiology, wildlife, laboratory animal, in vitro, and in silico data) that are relevant in assessing EDCs. Methods - We have developed a framework for the systematic review and integrated assessment (SYRINA) of EDC studies. The framework was designed for use with the International Program on Chemical Safety (IPCS) and World Health Organization (WHO) definition of an EDC, which requires appraisal of evidence regarding 1) association between exposure and an adverse effect, 2) association between exposure and endocrine disrupting activity, and 3) a plausible link between the adverse effect and the endocrine disrupting activity. Results - Building from existing methodologies for evaluating and synthesizing evidence, the SYRINA framework includes seven steps: 1) Formulate the problem; 2) Develop the review protocol; 3) Identify relevant evidence; 4) Evaluate evidence from individual studies; 5) Summarize and evaluate each stream of evidence; 6) Integrate evidence across all streams; 7) Draw conclusions, make recommendations, and evaluate uncertainties. The proposed method is tailored to the IPCS/WHO definition of an EDC but offers flexibility for use in the context of other definitions of EDCs. Conclusions - When using the SYRINA framework, the overall objective is to provide the evidence base needed to support decision making, including any action to avoid/minimise potential adverse effects of exposures. This framework allows for the evaluation and synthesis of evidence from multiple evidence streams. Finally, a decision regarding regulatory action is not only dependent on the strength of evidence, but also the consequences of action/inaction, e.g. limited or weak evidence may be sufficient to justify action if consequences are serious or irreversible.The workshops that supported the writing of this manuscript were funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research “Mistra”. LNV was funded by Award Number K22ES025811 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. TJW was funded by The Clarence Heller Foundation (A123547), the Passport Foundation, the Forsythia Foundation, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (grants ES018135 and ESO22841), and U.S. EPA STAR grants (RD83467801 and RD83543301). JT was funded by the Academy of Finland and Sigrid Juselius. UH was funded by the Danish EPA. KAK was funded by the Canada Research Chairs program grant number 950–230607

Improving the Value of Standard Toxicity Test Data in REACH

Worldwide, environmental risk assessment strategies are based on the assumption that measuring direct effects of single substances, using a few single species tests, in combination with safety factors correcting for extrapolation inconsistencies, can be used to protect higher levels of biological organization, such as populations and even ecosystems. At the same time, we are currently facing a range of pollution problems (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Series 2005), of which some could at least indirectly be linked to the fact that this assumption may not be fully valid. Consequently, there is an ongoing scientific debate on whether current chemical control protocols are sufficient for protection of ecosystems, and numerous suggestions for improvements have been presented by the scientific community, e.g. alternative tests and testing strategies. On the other hand, few of these suggestions actually reach the regulatory world (or become implemented), and risk assessment today basically follows the same paradigm as 30 years ago. While the new REACH regime is exceptionally ambitious, this chapter observes several problems and gaps in this regulatory framework. We suggest measures and approaches which imply increased ecological realism and understanding in future regulatory work

User experience of a complex infotainment system in a car. A reality-based study of graphical interface between man and vehicle

Under de senaste decennierna har det skett en enorm utveckling inom informationsteknologi (IT), där vi människor i allt högre utsträckning använder oss av IT i våra dagliga liv, med allt från sociala medier till musikströmningstjänster, har detta även fått en avspegling i teknologierna som utvecklas till våra bilar. Infotainmentsystem har blivit ett allt mer återkommande inslag i dagens moderna bilar där hög grad av integrering av exempelvis navigation, mobiltelefoni och internet blivit vanligare och mer eftertraktat. Trots detta har relativt lite forskning problematiserat användarupplevelsen av ett komplext infotainmentsystem i en bil. Denna studie har därmed i avsikt att pröva relevansen av verklighetsbaserade tester genom att undersöka hur användaren upplever ett komplex infotainmentsystem i en bil. Vi ställde oss frågan; Hur upplever användaren ett komplext infotainmentsystem i en bil? Vi genomförde i vår kvalitativa studie en intervju med forskare inom området fordons- och trafiksäkerhet och utformade också ett antal systemrelaterade aktiviteter i en testsession där vi observerade tre användare. Resultatet av undersökningen analyserades och vi kom fram till att det definitivt är fullt genomförbart att få mycket information kring upplevelsen av ett infotainmentsystem i en bil genom att skapa lämpliga testmoment i en verklig miljö.In recent decades here has been a huge development in information technology (IT), where we humans are increasingly using IT in our daily lives, ranging from social media to music streaming services; this has also been a reflection of the technologies developed to our cars. Infotainment systems have become an increasingly regular feature in modern cars where the high degree of integration such as navigation, mobile and Internet has become more common and more sought after. Despite this, relatively little research problemized User Experience of a complex infotainment system in a car. This study thus has the intention to consider the relevance of reality based tests by examining how the user experiences a complex infotainment system in a car. We asked ourselves; How do the user experience a complex infotainment system in a car? We conducted our qualitative study, an interview with researchers in the field of vehicle and road safety and designed a number of system-related activities in a test session where we observed three users. The survey results were analyzed and we found that it definitely is perfectly feasible to get much information about the experience of an infotainment system in a car by creating appropriate test elements in a real environment. The report is written in Swedish. Keywords: Cognition, Interaction Design, Complexity, Infotainment Syste