The energy-mineral-society nexus – A social LCA model

Renewable energy technologies such as direct-drive wind turbines based on permanent magnets need non-renewable resources such as rare earth minerals. The analysis of this nexus requires a better understanding of the complex interactions not only between these two sectors, but also between the natural environment and human society, characterized as the energy-mineral-society nexus (EMS nexus). The EMS nexus is analysed using an extended social life cycle assessment (sLCA) model and scenario approach. For this new social LCA the Social Hotspots Database (SHDB) is used to analyse rare earth production in Australia, Malaysia (Mount Weld process), USA (Mountain Pass process II), and China (Bayan Obo process).On the basis of the Social Hotspots Database (SHDB), the sLCA model allows to determine the social footprint of the production of rare earth elements based permanent magnets for 2012. Furthermore the social LCA model approach also enables a new interpretation of the societal life cycle costing (sLCC). The social risks are monetized for the three rare earth production chains. By integrating the Human Development Index (HDI), the new approach allows a novel scenario estimation of the social footprint and the social risk intensity for the three rare earth production sites.In addition to the scientific contribution, the results provide a central input for the public discussion about corporate social compliance, according to which companies try to improve the social standards along their global value chains in line with the social accountability 8000 (SA8000) standard

Specification of embedded monitors for property checking

Abstract: In the formal verification domain the use of monitors represents a powerful technique where model I/O sequences are monitored and triggers are raised to allow a simplification in the construction of formal properties. This reduces the chances of incorrect system specifications and can sometimes reduce also the actual model checking time. The drawback of this technique lies in its heterogeneity. In fact, usually monitors are defined at the implementation level of the device model under test. In this paper we present a more general approach based on the idea of abstracting monitors definition from the model level up to the specification level without imposing further constraints on the current model checking techniques. A test case from the telecom domain is used to illustrate the definition and use of this type of embedded monitors, showing advantages and benefits related to their application. 1

Racism, criminalization and the development of night-time economies: Two case studies in London and Manchester

Nightlife has historically been identified as a social problem. In the contemporary context, however, this perspective competes with the promotion of the 'night-time economy' as a source of economic regeneration and extended licensing as a means to establish a more genteel 'caf society'. However, these changes have concealed a reconfiguration of differentiating strategies. This article explores this neglected issue through two cases studies, one based in London and one in Manchester, and examines the fate of black cultural forms, venues and licensees in contemporary nightlife. It will argue that, due to the historical criminalization of black youth, music and residential areas, black cultural spaces have been subject to a process of exclusion in the new playgrounds of the night-time economy. The implications of this for social cohesion will be examined

Street-Lighting in England and Wales: New Technologies and Uncertainty in the Assemblage of Street-Lighting Infrastructure

To dim or not to dim? That is the choice that streetlighting engineers across the world are currently having to make. In the context of austerity politics, increased local-scale responsibility for climate-change mitigation and the emergence of technological developments, this choice of how to provide streetlighting has become newly politicised. In particular, new opportunities for streetlighting practice, including the use of efficient LED lighting and ‘computer management systems’ for controlling smart urban lighting, have emerged. This research paper draws from the concept of assemblage in order to argue that the practices of developing policy knowledge in this area of technological change need to be connected with understandings of lived experiences of infrastructure. Through interviews conducted with lighting engineers at local authorities in England, I explore the techniques and practices involved in generating the knowledge required to make choices with regards to new technologies and innovative practices. In particular, I argue that, while drawing on experiments and trials allows local authority lighting engineers to measure and understand certain features of an assemblage, it also leaves a significant gap with regards to the more tacit and experiential ways in which people engage with infrastructure on a day-to-day basis. This results in a number of uncertainties which local authority staff are aware of, but which they struggle to overcome. As such, this research comments on the difficulties inherent to understanding assemblages, and the ways in which choices are made at the intersection of energy policy, social governance, and technological innovation. This research paper draws from the concept of assemblage in order to argue that the practices of developing policy knowledge in this area of technological change need to be connected with understandings of lived experiences of infrastructure. Through interviews conducted with lighting-engineers at local authorities in England, I explore the techniques and practices involved in generating the knowledge required to make choices with regards to new technologies and innovative practices. In particular, I argue that while drawing on experiments and trials allows local authority lighting engineers to measure and understand certain features of an assemblage, it also leaves a significant gap with regards to the more tacit and experiential ways in which people engage with infrastructure on a day-to-day basis. This results in a number of uncertainties which local authority staff are aware of, but which they struggle to overcome. As such, this research comments on the difficulties inherent to understanding assemblages, and the ways in which choices are made at the intersection of energy policy, social governance and technological innovation