Techlash

Technology has made human lives incomparably better. Civilization as we know it would utterly collapse without it. However, if not properly managed, technology can and will be systematically abused and misuse and thereby become one of the biggest threats to humankind. This open access book applies proactive crisis management to the management of technology organizations to make them more sustainable and socially responsible for the betterment of humankind. It forecasts the unintended consequences of technology and offers methods to counteract it

Techlash

Technology has made human lives incomparably better. Civilization as we know it would utterly collapse without it. However, if not properly managed, technology can and will be systematically abused and misuse and thereby become one of the biggest threats to humankind. This open access book applies proactive crisis management to the management of technology organizations to make them more sustainable and socially responsible for the betterment of humankind. It forecasts the unintended consequences of technology and offers methods to counteract it

Factors contributing to the decline in the number of heavy goods vehicles involved in injury accidents in Norway from 2007 to 2020

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Elvik, R., Nævestad, T.-O., Sagberg, F., Storesund Hesjevoll, I., & Hovi, I. B. (2022). Factors contributing to the decline in the number of heavy goods vehicles involved in injury accidents in Norway from 2007 to 2020. Traffic Safety Research, 2, 000020. https://doi.org/10.55329/doiy5780There has been a large decline in the number of police reported injury accidents on public roads in Norway after 2007. The decline has been particularly large for accidents involving heavy goods vehicles. From 2007 to 2020, the number of heavy goods vehicles involved in injury accidents declined by 68%. The total number of injury accidents declined by 56%. The study presented in this paper aimed to identify factors explaining the decline from 2007 to 2020 in the number of heavy goods vehicles involved in injury accidents in Norway. This is done by reconstructing annual changes in factors known to influence the number of accidents and estimating the potential impacts of changes in these factors. The factors identified can only be regarded as potential causes, as the study design does not permit causal inferences. In total, 14 factors were identified. For 12 factors numerical estimates of the contributions to the declining trend were developed. The combined contribution of all factors accounted for 32.6%–37.5% of the decline in the number of heavy vehicles involved in injury accidents. More than 60% of the decline is not accounted for and must have been caused by factors not included in this study.Factors contributing to the decline in the number of heavy goods vehicles involved in injury accidents in Norway from 2007 to 2020publishedVersio

Linking bacterial community structure to advection and environmental impact along a coast-fjord gradient of the Sognefjord, western Norway

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The importance of microbiota and terrestrial inflows in controlling seston C:N:P:O:Si:Ca:Mn:Mg:Fe:K:Na:Cl:S:Cu:Zn stoichiometry of a deep coastal fjord

Comprehensive fjord-systems represent major extensions of the coastline and are therefore important transfer zones of materials from land to ocean. Despite increased terrestrial inflows to fjords due to climate changes, we know little about the effects on the ecosystem, especially biogeochemical cycling. We present novel data on spatiotemporal variations of seston multielement stoichiometry in the Sognefjord, the second longest (204 km) and deepest (1308 m) fjord in the world, relative to environmental conditions and microbiota. Concentration of major elements was highest in the upper brackish layer whereas trace metals and minor elements were highest close to the bottom. Seasonally varying microbiota was an important part of the seston in surface waters. None of the seston C:N:P (molar) annual means at specific depths corresponded to the Redfield ratio (106:16:1). At 5 m, annual means of N/P and C/N were 8.4 and 6.5, respectively, while at depth (50–1220 m) N/P were on scale 3 times higher (21–31) and C/N 3 times lower (1.6–2.6), suggesting alternative N-sequestration mechanisms. Overall, correlations between C-Ca and C-S indicate a strong influence from calcite (CaCO3) and organosulfur producing microorganisms, while correlations between particulate Si and Mg–K–Ca–O at depth are consistent with clay and sinking diatom frustules. Mn concentrations increased strongly towards the bottom, likely from resuspension of MnO2 rich sediments and clay particles. Based on seston concentrations, we arrived at the following stoichiometric relationship: C55N16P1Si3.6Ca3.4O16Fe0.74Mn0.51Zn0.33S0.21Cu0.08Cl1.7Na0.68Mg0.71K0.37, although rarely measured, such information is a prerequisite for evaluating environmental impact on coastal ecosystems, biogeochemical cycling, pollution risk analysis and monitoring guidelines.publishedVersio

Comparing EPA production and fatty acid profiles of three Phaeodactylum tricornutum strains under western Norwegian climate conditions

Microalgae could provide a sustainable alternative to fish oil as a source for the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, growing microalgae on a large-scale is still more cost-intensive than fish oil production, and outdoor productivities vary greatly with reactor type, geographic location, climate conditions and microalgae species or even strains. The diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum has been intensively investigated for its potential in large-scale production, due to its robustness and comparatively high growth rates and EPA content. Yet, most research have been performed in southern countries and with a single commercial P. tricornutum strain, while information about productivities at higher latitudes and of local strains is scarce. We examined the potential of the climate conditions in Bergen, western Norway for outdoor cultivation of P. tricornutum in flat panel photobioreactors and cultivated three different strains simultaneously, one commercial strain from Spain (Fito) and two local isolates (M28 and B58), to assess and compare their biomass and EPA productivities, and fatty acid (FA) profiles. The three strains possessed similar biomass productivities (average volumetric productivities of 0.20, 0.18, and 0.21 g L− 1 d− 1), that were lower compared to productivities reported from southern latitudes. However, EPA productivities differed between the strains (average volumetric productivities of 9.8, 5.7 and 6.9 mg L− 1 d− 1), due to differing EPA contents (average of 4.4, 3.2 and 3.1% of dry weight), and were comparable to results from Italy. The EPA content of strain Fito of 4.4% is higher than earlier reported for P. tricornutum (2.6–3.1%) and was only apparent under outdoor conditions. A principal component analysis (PCA) of the relative FA composition revealed strain-specific profiles. However, including data from laboratory experiments, revealed more significant differences between outdoor and laboratory-grown cultures than between the strains, and higher EPA contents in outdoor grown cultures.publishedVersio

Development and validation of patients' surgical safety checklist

Background Poor uptake and understanding of critical perioperative information represent a major safety risk for surgical patients. Implementing a patient-driven surgical safety checklist might enhance the way critical information is given and increase patient involvement in their own safety throughout the surgical pathway. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a Surgical Patient Safety Checklist (PASC) for use by surgical patients. Method This was a prospective study, involving patient representatives, multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and elective surgical patients to develop and validate PASC using consensus-building techniques in two Norwegian hospitals. A set of items intended for PASC were rated by patients and then submitted to Content Validation Index (CVI) analyses. Items of low CVI went through a Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) Hazard Scoring process, as well as a consensus process before they were either kept or discarded. Reliability of patients’ PASC ratings was assessed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient analysis. Lastly, the face validity of PASC was investigated through focus group interviews with postoperative patients. Results Initial development of PASC resulted in a checklist consisting of two parts, one before (32 items) and one after surgery (26 items). After achieving consensus on the PASC content, 215 surgical patients from six surgical wards rated the items for the CVI analysis on a 1-4 scale and mostly agreed on the content. Five items were removed from the checklist, and six items were redesigned to improve PASCs’ user-friendliness. The total Scale-level index/Average (S-CVI/Ave) before revision was 0.83 and 0.86 for pre- and post-operative PASC items, respectively. Following revision, these increased to 0.86 and 0.93, respectively. The PASC items reliability score was 0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.96 to 0.98). The qualitative assessment identified that patients who used PASC felt more in control of their situation; this was achieved when PASC was given to them at what they felt was the right time and healthcare professionals took part in its usage. Conclusion Multidisciplinary perioperative care staff and surgical patients agreed upon PASC content, the checklist ratings were reliable, and qualitative assessment suggested good face validity. PASC appears to be a usable and valid checklist for elective surgical patients across specialties.publishedVersio

Program for overvåking av fiskefôr - Årsrapport for prøver innsamlet i 2018

Mattilsynet er oppdragsgiver for denne overvåkningen som er en del av Norges oppfølging av nasjonalt og internasjonalt regelverk på dyrefôr. Denne rapporten oppsummerer resultater fra det offentlige overvåknings- og kartleggingsprogrammet for fiskefôr, fôrmidler og premikser til fiskefôr for prøver som ankom i 2018. I Norge er det en egen forskrift for fôr; forskrift om fôrvarer, som har som formål «å sikre at fôret er trygt og dermed ikke er helseskadelig for mennesker eller dyr, eller gjør næringsmidler fra dyr uegnet for konsum. Fôret skal heller ikke ha skadevirkning på miljøet» [1]. Forskriften følger fôrlovgivningen i den Europeiske Unionen (EU), og blir jevnlig oppdatert i samsvar med forandringer i EUs fôrlovgivning. Formålet med dette overvåkingsprogrammet er å overvåke status på fôrområdet, framskaffe offentlig dokumentasjon om fiskefôr og kartlegge nye potensielle farer knyttet til fiskefôr. I 2018 ble totalt 133 prøver analysert: 76 fullfôr, 9 fiskemel, 11 vegetabilske fôrmidler, 10 vegetabilske oljer, 10 fiskeoljer og 17 mineral- og vitaminpremikser. Analysene i dette programmet rapporteres fortløpende med elektronisk analysebevis til Mattilsynet, og ved funn av verdier som overstiger grenseverdiene har Mattilsynet blitt varslet gjennom et eget varslingssystem. I likhet med tidligere år, ble det i 2018 analysert for uønskede stoffer i et utvalg av fullfôr og fôrmidler. I tillegg, ble det i 2018 programmet fokusert på analysert av næringsstoffer i fullfôr. Formålet var å fremskaffe mer data på nivåene av blant annet essensielle vitaminer, mineraler og fettsyrer i fullfôr. Årets analyser viste en tendens til flere utslag for uønskede mikrobiologiske parametere i fôr og fôrmidler. Det ble det gjort funn av bakterier i familien Enterobacteriaceae i et fiskemel i 2018. Nivået målt var over øvre grenseverdi for Enterobacteriaceae. I tillegg ble det registrert relativt høyt nivå av den samme bakterien i et vegetabilsk fôrmiddel i 2018. Det ble også rapportert funn av bakterier i slekten Salmonella i ett fullfôr analysert i 2018. Bakteriene var Salmonella altona, som ikke har blitt påvist i fullfôr tidligere i dette programmet. Det ble ikke påvist ulovlig PAP i form av bestanddeler fra drøvtyggere med lysmikroskopi eller DNA fra drøvtyggere med PCR metoden i noen av de undersøkte fiskemelene i 2018. I vitaminpremikser ble det funnet drøvtygger- DNA, men det ble ikke påvist animalske bestanddeler ved bruk av lysmikroskopi. Vi kan ikke avgjøre om dette stammer fra lovlig PAP (for eksempel melkeprotein) eller ulovlig PAP (gelatin fra drøvtyggere) [2]. Resultatene for 2018 viser ingen overskridelser i fullfôr eller fôrmidler for uønskede stoffer, verken for organiske eller uorganiske. Det ble registrert relativt høye nivåer av flere mykotoksiner i to vegetabilske fôrmidler, begge maismel. Nivåene oversteg ikke den øvre grenseverdien for aflatoxin, men det ble påvist relativt høye nivåer av mykotoksinene fumonisiner, zearelanone og beauvericin i disse fôrmidlene. Flere fullfôr inneholdt mykotoksinet enniatin over kvantifiseringsgrensen, noe som også er sett tidligere år. Analyser av organofosfat pesticider i 2018 viste nivåer av klorpyrifos-metyl og pirimifos-metyl over kvantifiseringsgrensen i flere av de undersøkte fullfôrene. Det ble også registrert nivåer av malathion over kvantifiseringsgrensen i fire av ti vegetabilske oljer. Det er første gang malathion har blitt registrert i dette overvåkingsprogrammet. Det er ikke fastsatt øvre grenseverdier («maximum residue limit», MRL) for malathion, klorpyrifos-metyl eller pirimifos-metyl i fullfôr eller fôrmidler i EU. Angående næringsstoffer, ble det i 2018 analysert for en rekke vitaminer, mineraler, samt fettsyreprofil og aminosyreprofil i fullfôr. I forhold til kjente behovsestimat for oppdrettslaks, tyder resultatene på at behovet for vitamin C, vitamin E, og vitamin K blir dekket gjennom fôret, mens det kan være noen utfordringer med lave nivåer av noen av B-vitaminene (spesielt folat og cobalamin). Flere av fullfôrene inneholdt mineralene selen, sink, molybden, samt vitamin D3 over de øverste tillatte innhold. Øvre grense for mineraler og vitamin D3 reguleres av lovgivningen for tilsetningsstoffer; og grense for største tillatte innhold gjelder for summen av tilsatt mengde og det som naturlig er tilstede i fôrmidlene. Grenseverdien gjelder bare dersom stoffene er tilsatt. Analyser av premikser i 2018 viste at flere tilsetningsstoffer som overskrider grenseverdien (selen, sink, molybden og vitamin D3) generelt inngår i premikser. Det anbefales å overvåke og kartlegge norsk fiskefôr også i årene fremover, både i forhold til uønskede stoffer og ernæringskvalitet. Denne kartleggingen er særlig viktig med tanke på potensielle risikofaktorer som følge av endringer i fôrsammensetningen, og bruk av nye typer fôrmidler i fiskefôr.publishedVersio

Investigation of the Performance of the New Orleans Flood Protection System in Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005: Volume 1

This report presents the results of an investigation of the performance of the New Orleans regional flood protection system during and after Hurricane Katrina, which struck the New Orleans region on August 29, 2005. This event resulted in the single most costly catastrophic failure of an engineered system in history. Current damage estimates at the time of this writing are on the order of $100 to$200 billion in the greater New Orleans area, and the official death count in New Orleans and southern Louisiana at the time of this writing stands at 1,293, with an additional 306 deaths in nearby southern Mississippi. An additional approximately 300 people are currently still listed as “missing”; it is expected that some of these missing were temporarily lost in the shuffle of the regional evacuation, but some of these are expected to have been carried out into the swamps and the Gulf of Mexico by the storm’s floodwaters, and some are expected to be recovered in the ongoing sifting through the debris of wrecked homes and businesses, so the current overall regional death count of 1,599 is expected to continue to rise a bit further. More than 450,000 people were initially displaced by this catastrophe, and at the time of this writing more than 200,000 residents of the greater New Orleans metropolitan area continue to be displaced from their homes by the floodwater damages from this storm event. This investigation has targeted three main questions as follow: (1) What happened?, (2) Why?, and (3) What types of changes are necessary to prevent recurrence of a disaster of this scale again in the future? To address these questions, this investigation has involved: (1) an initial field reconnaissance, forensic study and data gathering effort performed quickly after the arrival of Hurricanes Katrina (August 29, 2005) and Rita (September 24, 2005), (2) a review of the history of the regional flood protection system and its development, (3) a review of the challenging regional geology, (4) detailed studies of the events during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as the causes and mechanisms of the principal failures, (4) studies of the organizational and institutional issues affecting the performance of the flood protection system, (5) observations regarding the emergency repair and ongoing interim levee reconstruction efforts, and (6) development of findings and preliminary recommendations regarding changes that appear warranted in order to prevent recurrence of this type of catastrophe in the future. In the end, it is concluded that many things went wrong with the New Orleans flood protection system during Hurricane Katrina, and that the resulting catastrophe had it roots in three main causes: (1) a major natural disaster (the Hurricane itself), (2) the poor performance of the flood protection system, due to localized engineering failures, questionable judgments, errors, etc. involved in the detailed design, construction, operation and maintenance of the system, and (3) more global “organizational” and institutional problems associated with the governmental and local organizations responsible for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and funding of the overall flood protection system

Life cycle, reliability-based, river restoration

Aquatic ecosystems worldwide are being severely altered or destroyed at a rate greater than they are being restored (NRC, 1992). According to the 1994 National Water Quality Inventory of 617,806 miles of rivers and streams, only 56 percent fully supported multiple uses, including drinking water supply, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, and agriculture, as well as flood protection and erosion control ( FISRWG, 2001). In 2005, the National River Restoration Science Synthesis (NRRSS) working group released the results of a multi-year study of the motivations and subsequent performance of completed river restoration projects within the United States. Through the development of a comprehensive database, the study found that although over $1 billion is spent on restoration projects each year, it was found that more than half the projects failed to meet the intended goals and design criteria (Kondolf and Downs, 2004). River restoration is not a mature science (Brookes and Shields, 1996) and there exists significant gaps in scientific knowledge of river restoration, as well as undetermined biases and errors in the current empirical design formulations and numerical models, resulting in 'uncertainties' that dramatically impact the outcomes of these projects. River restoration projects fail through the omission of essential parameters in the development and configuration of the project. In order to achieve reliable river restoration projects it is essential that the problem to be remedied is completely and comprehensively defined; that project-related uncertainties (i.e. physical, temporal, financial) be acknowledged, estimated, and accounted for; and interactive management approaches (such as adaptive management) be configured and employed to manage those parameters identified as having significant influence on the project and high magnitudes of uncertainty. River restoration is evaluated from a life-cycle perspective. Additionally, reliability is a central theme of the research. By including reliability into river restoration, it becomes possible to directly incorporate project performance as well as the plethora of uncertainties that plague many river restoration efforts from achieving their intended outcomes. Through literature reviews, this research synthesizes the current interdisciplinary river restoration body of knowledge (classified by NRRSS goal categories) and created a river restoration 'checklist' with associated resources (planning guides, design manuals, computer software programs, and GIS data) for planning and design to correlate minimum project requirements with intended restoration goals. Case studies are presented for validation and the case studies also present management strategies for restoration uncertainties and adaptive management