| 1. |
- Brandén Klang, Anders, 1967-, et al.
(författare)
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Sustainable management of combustible household waste-Expanding the integrated evaluation model
- 2008
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Ingår i: Resources, Conservation and Recycling. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-3449 .- 1879-0658. ; 52:8-9, s. 1101-1111
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A previously described model for the evaluation of sustainability in waste management has been expanded and applied to biodegradable and other combustible household waste. The model was applied to a case-study focusing on the special conditions in a municipality in the sparsely populated region of northern Sweden. In this region it is usual that the collection distances are long, the volume of waste is low and treatment facilities are remote. Four scenarios for the management of municipal household waste were compared: incineration, anaerobic digestion, composting and landfilling. A system analysis was performed to ensure that each scenario fulfil all the functions that the waste could provide (heat, electricity, fuel, and soil with a high nutrient content) and a sensitivity analysis was carried out to test the reliability of the results. The results show that the evaluation model can be used to assess the sustainability aspects of different treatment scenarios for combustible household waste. The model also allows for an individual interpretation of the results presented, depending on the choice of priorities. The effects of varying the time horizons and the difference in impact depending on what fuels are ultimately replaced in energy production are discussed.
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| 2. |
- Ding, Yiyu, et al.
(författare)
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A study on data-driven hybrid heating load prediction methods in low-temperature district heating : An example for nursing homes in Nordic countries
- 2022
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Ingår i: Energy Conversion and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0196-8904 .- 1879-2227. ; 269
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the face of green energy initiatives and progressively increasing shares of more energy-efficient buildings, there is a pressing need to transform district heating towards low-temperature district heating. The substantially lowered supply temperature of low-temperature district heating broadens the opportunities and challenges to integrate distributed renewable energy, which requires enhancement on intelligent heating load prediction. Meanwhile, to fulfill the temperature requirements for domestic hot water and space heating, separate energy conversion units on user-side, such as building-sized boosting heat pumps shall be implemented to upgrade the temperature level of the low-temperature district heating network. This study conducted hybrid heating load prediction methods with long-term and short-term prediction, and the main work consisted of four steps: (1) acquisition and processing of district heating data of 20 district heating supplied nursing homes in the Nordic climate (2016–2019); (2) long-term district heating load prediction through linear regression, energy signature curve in hourly resolution, providing an overall view and boundary conditions for the unit sizing; (3) short-term district heating load prediction through two Artificial Neural Network models, f72 and g120, with different prediction input parameters; (4) evaluation of the predicted load profiles based on the measured data. Although the three prediction models met the quality criteria, it was found that including the historical hourly heating loads as the input to the forecasting model enhanced the prediction quality, especially for the peak load and low-mild heating season. Furthermore, a possible application of the heating load profiles was proposed by integrating two building-sized heat pumps in low-temperature district heating, which may be a promising heat supply method in low-temperature district heating.
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| 3. |
- Ebrahimi, Babak, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Road Pavements: Comparing the Quality and Point of Application of Existing Software Tools on the basis of a Norwegian Case Study
- 2016
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Ingår i: CIB World Building Congress 2016. - 1797-8904. - 9789521537455 ; 5:Tampere, s. 749-760
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Various software tools have been developed to evaluate the life cycle performances of roads toprovide decision supports for road authorities and contractors. It is therefore important to comparethe strengths and limitations of these software tools to understand the appropriate application andto identify the points for optimization. This study evaluated EFFEKT 6.6, EKA, and LICCERsoftware tools, by applying the environmental life cycle assessment following the ISO 14040standard. The assessment was based on an open-air road (excluding tunnels and bridges) with afunctional unit of one kilometer and greenhouse gas emissions as well as embodied energyindicators were evaluated in the considered software tools. The open-air road was modeled foreach software tool with respects to road class H9 characteristic in Norway, classed as a nationalroad. The assessment showed that the system boundary and purpose of use differed between theconsidered software tools. This resulted in performing the assessment only over A1 – 4 and B6modules according to EN 15978 standard for the hypothetical open-air road to provide acomparable boundary condition. The results demonstrated that EFFEKT overall yielded highervalues for greenhouse gas emissions and embodied energy compared to the two other softwaretools, while, the three software tools quantified nearly the same amount of asphalt use within the20-year analysis period.
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| 4. |
- Eid, Jarle, et al.
(författare)
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Developing local crisis leadership : A research and training agenda
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 14
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The crisis triggered by Covid-19 has exposed the interdependencies of modern society and sparked interest in local response to protracted and complex crisis situations. There has been a growing awareness and interest in the key roles of political and professional stakeholders, their emotional regulation and how they influence team performance and outcomes in dealing with uncertainty and complex crisis situations. While cognitive and behavioral aspects of crisis leadership are well researched, less is understood about how one can mitigate negative emotions, instill trust, or restore public faith and support of security forces and emergency response teams during crises. In addressing this gap, we propose a simplified conceptual roadmap for research and training of local crisis leadership. In this, we emphasize complex problem solving, team interaction, team context and technology and team training design. These four factors represent significant barriers if neglected. On the other side, they may be considerable force multipliers when better understood and managed. We suggest how seven research and training questions could be linked to the four conceptual factors and guide an evidence-based approach to develop local crisis leadership.
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| 5. |
- Eid, Jarle, et al.
(författare)
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Distributed team processes in healthcare services : a scoping review
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Medicine. - 2296-858X. ; 10
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: High-quality healthcare services is delivered by teams rather than individuals and depends heavily on multidisciplinary cooperation between dispersed healthcare professionals. The aim of this scoping review is to identify common barriers and innovative applications of technology supporting team processes and patient safety, in geographically dispersed healthcare services.Methods: Studies were identified from searches in APA PsychINFO, Epistemonikos and Medline databases, from 2010 to 2023. A detailed search strategy was performed, and studies were included, based on prior established criteria.Results: Among the 19 studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria, the majority (85%) were from Europe or North America, and most studies (53%) were quantitative, with a cross-sectional study design. Several reported observed distributed team processes in training and education. Most studies described barriers and detailed how innovative approaches and technological solutions were introduced to improve communication, coordination, and shared mental models in distributed healthcare settings. A small proportion of studies (16%) used health services data to examine interpersonal exchange and team processes.Conclusion: The scoping review offer recommendations to enhance future research on distributed team processes in healthcare services.
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| 6. |
- Gaylord Kabongo, Booto, et al.
(författare)
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The effect of highway geometry on fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles operating in eco-driving mode
- 2017
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Ingår i: CRC-Taylor & Francis Group. - Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 : CRC Press. ; , s. 2179-2185
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents an analysis of the effects of the geometry of a highway on fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles operating in eco-driving mode. Field data from a high traffic volume highway in Norway are used in this study. Vertical and horizontal profile layers of the same road sections are considered individually and merged with vehicle field data. The study includes a correlation and regression analysis to investigate the relationship between the road gradient and the rate of fuel consumption of a representative truck. The effect of road gradient is examined in both acceleration and deceleration (retardation) mode. Different models are devel-oped, which can serve as a tool for decision making at early design and planning phases of a highway project, where information on fuel consumption and its environmental impacts may influence design choices.
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| 7. |
- Högfeldt, Anna-Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Program leadership from a Nordic perspective - Managing education development
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of 8th International CDIO Conference, Brisbane, Australia.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nordic Five Tech (N5T) is a strategic alliance between five technical universities in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The overall aim is to “utilize shared and complementary strengths and create synergy within education, research and innovation”. In this paper we focus on university educational development issues by investigating the program leadership at five Nordic technical universities. Specifically, the paper compares definitions, views and experiences of education leadership in the Nordic Five Tech (N5T) universities. The paper does this by, first, reviewing the definitions of roles and responsibilities for program directors at each university, and second, by presenting results from a survey carried out in March 2012 among program directors at the N5T universities. Based on this data, we analyze how program directors experience their role, their possibilities to lead, and their opportunities of learning to lead. How is time for reflection and development as leaders handled at the different universities? The paper goes on to consider what impact the mandate of the leadership role has on the possibilities for developing educational programs. For instance, how can program directors ensure that learning objectives concerning generic skills and abilities are reached? How can program directors drive implementation of integrative and value-oriented topics such as sustainable development, innovation and entrepreneurship?
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| 8. |
- Johnsen, Bjørn Helge, et al.
(författare)
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Coordinating Mechanisms Are More Important Than Team Processes for Geographically Dispersed Emergency Dispatch and Paramedic Teams
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-1078. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent decades there has been an increased emphasis on non-technical skills in medical teams. One promising approach that relates teamwork to medical efficiency is the theory of Shared Mental Models (SMM). The aim of the present study was to investigate the suitability of the Shared Mental Model approach for teamwork between operators in emergency medical communication centers and the first line ambulance personnel in real-life settings. These teams collaborate while working from geographically dispersed positions, which makes them distinct from the kinds of teams examined in most previous research on team effectiveness. A pressing issue is therefore whether current models on co-located teams are valid for medical distributed teams. A total of 240 participants from 80 emergency medical teams participated in the study. A team effectiveness model was proposed based on identified team coordinating mechanisms and the “Big five†team processes. Path analyses showed that SMM was positively associated with team effectiveness (i.e., performance satisfaction and situational awareness) and negatively related to mission complexity. Furthermore, the coordinating mechanisms of SMM and Closed Loop Communication was positively related to “Big five†team scores. However, no effects were found for the “Big five†team processes on effectiveness, which could indicate that the model needs to be adjusted for application to geographically dispersed teams. Possible implications for team training of distributed emergency response teams are discussed.
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| 9. |
- Klang, Anders, 1967-, et al.
(författare)
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Systems analysis as support for decision making towards sustainable municipal waste management – a case study
- 2006
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Ingår i: Waste Management & Research. - : Sage. - 0734-242X .- 1096-3669. ; 24:4, s. 323-331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the last decade, systems analysis has become a more frequentlyused tool in municipal waste management. Thispaper investigates how one such analysis, carried out in a Swedish county, was perceived by local municipalofficers and politicians as support in the decision-makingprocess. A questionnaire was sent to municipal officers and politicians in local government committees andmunicipal councils. The respondents consideredthe most important aspects in evaluating scenarios to be: possibilities for municipal co-operation to minimizecost and negative environmental influence; soundworking conditions for refuse disposal personnel; low emissionsof greenhouse gases; keeping household economyin mind; and using technologies that are knownand reliable. Aspects of relatively low importance were thenumber of locally generated job opportunities,and minimizing work efforts for the households. The study also showed differences between male and femalerespondents and between politicians and municipalofficers, on how scenarios were valued and on which aspects of the systems analysis were of greatest importancefor this valuation. Respondents, on average,were satisfied with the systems analysis, and its usefulness as a decision-support tool. However, more workshould be carried out to explain and presentthe results of the systems analysis to further improve its usefulness.
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| 10. |
- Miliutenko, Sofiia, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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CONSIDERATION OF LIFE CYCLE ENERGY USE AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING PROCESSES: EXAMPLES OF SWEDEN, NORWAY, DENMARK AND THE NETHERLANDS
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. - 1464-3332 .- 1757-5605. ; 16:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with life cycle stages of roadinfrastructure are currently rarely assessed during road infrastructure planning. This studyexamines the road infrastructure planning process, with emphasis on its use of EnvironmentalAssessments (EA), and identifies when and how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) canbe integrated in the early planning stages for supporting decisions such as choice of roadcorridor. Road infrastructure planning processes are compared for four European countries(Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands).The results show that only Norway has a formalised way of using LCA during choiceof road corridor. Only the Netherlands has a requirement for using LCA in the laterprocurement stage. It is concluded that during the early stages of planning, LCA could beintegrated as part of an EA, as a separate process or as part of a Cost-Benefit Analysis.
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| 11. |
- Miliutenko, Sofiia, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Life cycle impacts during early stages of road infrastructure planning : a case study in Sweden
- 2014
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Ingår i: Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2014 Proceedings.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Road infrastructure has effects on the environment throughout all of its life cycle phases: construction,maintenance, operation and end-of-life. It has been observed, however, that these life cycle impacts are notusually considered during early stages of road infrastructure planning (i.e. decisions on road corridor).The recently developed LICCER tool enables assessment of road corridor alternatives during early stages of roadinfrastructure planning. It includes input data for roads, bridges and tunnels. It also considers future emissionsfrom traffic. The life cycle impact categories covered are energy use and contribution to climate change.The developed tool is being tested in a case study. Construction of a specific road in Sweden was used todemonstrate how the model is able to show differences between road corridor alternatives. Sensitivity analysiswas applied to show the robustness of its results.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Roth, Liselott, 1970-
(författare)
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Reuse of construction materials : Environmental performance and assessment methodology
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Reuse is a measure for resource-saving materials and energy use, which is stressed in the concept of kretsloppsanpassning, or societal industrial ecology (SIE), as it will be termed in this thesis. Reuse is here used as a general term for any kind of reuse and divided into recirculation, upgrading and cascading, according to the degradation of the inner material structure. Reuse of construction materials in society is mainly done with the belief that any kind of reuse is environmentally beneficial. However, this assumption is seldom critically assessed.The aim of this thesis was to examine under which conditions reuse of construction materials in the Swedish building and transportation sectors is beneficial to the environment. In order to identify critical conditions, the environmental performance of actual building projects that to a large extent utilised reused building materials was assessed (Papers V-VI). To better understand the practice of SIE and how it was implemented, the transportation sector was studied (Paper I). In order to address the issue of assessing the environmental performance of construction material reuse, method development became an important part of this thesis. Methods and tools employed in this thesis were required to be able to simultaneously address different system boundaries and also involve simplification.Studying the implementation of SIE revealed the lack of a holistic approach in environmental management, though it is present in the overall objectives of the SIE concept (Paper I). This was concluded by studying the energy and material stocks and flows in a life-cycle perspective in the environmental management of the Swedish National Rail and Road administrations. The study showed that the SIE-related measures implemented were outflow oriented, while the material inflows were generally quantified. Overall, the management and use phases were addressed, while the construction and deconstruction phases were poorly considered.Studying environmental assessment methods showed that an important characteristic is the system boundaries, which to a large extent decide which issues could be addressed and what actually could be studied (Paper II). Environmental assessment methods applied to reuse of construction materials were organised in an assessment framework of four system levels: the material level, the local environment level, the narrow life-cycle level and the industrial system level. It was concluded that mainstream environmental assessment of construction material reuse that is performed in the process of development consent and also in research, mainly addresses the narrow scope of the material level. In order to apply a holistic approach to environmental assessments of reuse of construction materials, the system boundaries needed to be widened.When selecting system boundaries, methods and indicators, researchers indirectly decide on which environmental pressures we consider the most important (cf. Papers II - III). There are trade-offs between making broad or deep environmental assessments. To accomplish an environmental assessment wide in its scope requires abundant resources and is complicated to carry through. Simplifications of the complex reality are always needed. However, to counteract the risk of problem shifting, the simplified methods and indicators need to be balanced for environmental relevance and used with knowledge of what they reflect and what is left out (Paper III). One example of such method simultaneously environmentally relevant and capable to cope with wide system boundaries is the study of primary energy use in a life cycle perspective, applied to a material an energy use context (see Papers IV-VI).In searching for a tool to prioritise building materials in building research and environmental management of the building sector, the total amount of building materials present in the Swedish building material stock was multiplied by their embodied energy coefficients (Paper IV). This product was normalized for the building materials’ service life. The accounting resulted in an ordering of building material categories according to their energy intensity. These are, in decreasing order: wood materials, bricks and other ceramics, concrete and steel.After calculating energy use in a life-cycle perspective for the recirculation, upgrading and cascading of larger building reuse projects of concrete and clay bricks, it is not self-evident that reuse is beneficial for the environment (Paper V, VI). It mainly depends on the use of auxiliary materials and their embodied energy, but also the primary energy use for the reuse processes, such as transportation distance and mode between the deconstruction and construction sites. In order to improve the environmental benefits of reuse, primarily the auxiliary materials used in current reuse projects should be minimised. Otherwise, there is a risk that the energy use for these materials turns reuse into an unfavourable process for the environment. Furthermore, reuse should preferably be environmentally assessed with a wide scope before implementation. What is included in such environmental assessment is significant for the outcome and the pictured environmental performance.
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| 14. |
- Ugarelli, Rita, et al.
(författare)
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Asset management of urban wastewater pipeline networks
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Infrastructure Systems. - Reston : American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). - 1076-0342 .- 1943-555X. ; 16:2, s. 112-121
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pipelines account for the lion’s share of the lifetime costs of any typical urban wastewater collection. While the deterioration of pipeline is the obvious “frontline” reason to adopt asset management practices, a more overarching driver is the need to gravitate toward sustainable development and set short- and long-term objectives encompassing economic, social, and environmental goals. Optimizing the expenses and providing the required levels of service to customers are the twin targets of wastewater utilities. Oslo Vann og Avløpsetaten—the water/wastewater utility in the Norwegian capital, considered as case study in this paper, is sprucing up its data bank, rightly realizing that a very effective information management system is the spine of asset management.
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| 15. |
- Ugarelli, Rita, et al.
(författare)
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Importance of investment decisions and rehabilitation approaches in an ageing wastewater pipeline network. : A case study of Oslo (Norway)
- 2008
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Ingår i: Water Science and Technology. - London : IWA Publishing. - 0273-1223 .- 1996-9732. ; 58:12, s. 2279-2293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As Oslo Vann og Avlopsetaten (VAV, meaning Water and Sewage Department) looks into the future, it is faced with a quandary-to replace old pipelines or to continue maintaining them. The primary goal is to improve the level of service. The secondary goals are to rejuvenate the system and stem the decline in capital value. In 1991-2006, the Operation and Maintenance expenses (O&M) were far higher than the investments, and the network aged as its capital value plummeted. However, if the funds are insufficient, the self-financing Oslo VAV would have to turn to the consumers for help. Will the consumers pay more to have a 'younger' system? What if they are happy with the 'status quo' and are unconcerned about the falling capital value? Should the pipelines be depreciated over a longer period than the 40 years which is adopted now? Should the economic method be replaced by a more engineering-based method, whereby the pipes are assessed 'on merit'-on the basis of their service lives? There are numerous issues and a good decision will ease the road ahead. This paper, using Life Cycle Costing Analysis (LCCA) and scenarios therein, looks at how Oslo VAV could strike a balance between expending on O&M, investing in upgrading the network, and decelerating the ageing of the network while augmenting the capital value, and what is the best attainable set of targets they could aim for, at the end of the next 20 years. The two approaches mentioned above are compared with each other. It is seen that a rehabilitation programme based on the pipes performance approach is preferable to one guided by an economic lifetime approach, when the motive is to optimise expenditure and also improve the level of service.
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| 16. |
- Vignisdottir, Hrefna Run, et al.
(författare)
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Life Cycle assessment of Anti- and De-icing Operations in Norway
- 2016
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Ingår i: CIB World Building Congress 2016. - 1797-8904. - 9789521537448 ; 4:Tampere, s. 13-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- During winter maintenance in Norway 2014-2015, 225 445 tonnes of chemicals were used and 1 610 000 km driven while removing snow and ice on national and state roads. Despite this significant amount of chemicals and distance, winter maintenance is often omitted from current environmental studies of roads and transportation. Current studies focus primarily on vehicles, fuel technology and construction activities. This focus has been based on the fact that these are the largest source of emissions from road transportation. However, as vehicle and fuel technology advances and have less impact per unit, other aspects of transportation, such as maintenance and operation of infrastructure become increasingly important and should be included in LCA studies of roads in cold climates. In this study, life cycle analysis (LCA) is used to estimate the environmental impacts of the production, transport and distribution of chemicals during winter maintenance in Norway. The study is based on reported quantities for winter maintenance during an average winter between 2010-2015. The functional unit is set as anti- and de-icing operations on national and state roads per km during winter an average winter from 2010 through 2014. The results show that environmental impacts from winter maintenanceare significant, and thus we argue that winter maintenance should be included in LCA of roads in cold climates. Further investigations on current winter maintenance methods and future options are to be conducted in order to avoid solving one problem while creating another one (problem shifting) during policy development.
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