Our ambition is to give an overview of the mandatory involvement of notified bodies according to the AI Act and the Machinery Regulation. Specifically, we are interested in the cases when both acts are applicable for the same product.

That said, our analysis is not to be taken as legal advice but as policy research and we recommend the reader to cross-examine our conclusions by assessing the acts in relation to the products at hand. It is also worth remembering that the focus of the analysis is when a notified body is mandatory for CE-marking a product – we do not describe what is needed to meet requirements on technology and organisation, and it is always possible to opt to include a notified body in the conformity assessment even if it is not mandatory.

Another limitation is that we do not explore the full interaction between the AI Act and the Machinery Regulation, or how they interact with other policies relevant for CE-marking products intended for EU’s internal market.

Our main conclusions of the analysis are that:

• We should not focus on how the definition of Artificial Intelligence in the AI Act relates to the concept of ”fully or partially self-evolving behaviour using machine learning approaches” as introduced by the Machinery Regulation; but instead

• We should focus on when the Machinery Regulation mandates the involvement of a notified body and how that relates to the AI Act.

We also foresee an up-coming bottleneck in the availability of notified bodies capable of performing the duties in relation to both the AI Act and the Machinery Regulation, something that can have an effect on access to the internal market.

This report provides an overview of current and upcoming legal frameworks and instruments relevant for automated vehicles (AV) and automated driving (AD). It is the second version of this overview, which will be updated every six months as long as the project ‘Network Automated Driving Regulations’ runs. Next version of the overview can be expected in January 2025. In this version, legislation as of August 2024 has been considered.

Laws and regulations play a vital role in the safe and efficient integration of AVs into our transportation system. They can ensure that we maximise the benefits of the new technology while minimising the downside risks and help to build public trust in the technology.

Vehicles are sold on an international market and much of the traffic crosses national borders. Therefore, harmonised rules are needed, at least to some extent. Regulatory developments around AD are ongoing at international level and regional level within Europe, and this has already resulted in some new regulations. More will come within the next few years. Knowledge of international and EU regulations as well as ongoing and planned regulatory initiatives that affect the development and use of AVs is important for actors in the AV space to follow.

The shift towards AD is disruptive and complex, not least from a regulatory perspective. AVs need partly different requirements than previous vehicles, necessitating the development of new vehicle regulations and traffic rules. AVs must be able to interact safely with other road users (not least unprotected road users) in various traffic situations and driving conditions; anticipate and detect risks and drive with a margin of safety to prevent accidents and injuries; and follow traffic rules. (It is even likely that some traffic rules will have to be written differently than today.) ‘Vehicle regulations’ set requirements for how the vehicles should be designed and function, while ‘traffic rules’ set requirements for how road users should behave in traffic. In AD, it is the vehicle and not the driver that must follow traffic rules. This means that the AV must be designed to comply with traffic rules. This needs to be considered from a regulatory perspective. At the same time, users of AVs may need to have different traffic rules for how they should behave in relation to these vehicles. The legislator also needs to consider this.

Automatiserade transporter har potential att minska trängsel och miljöbelastning och att öka trafiksäkerhet. Länder som USA, Kina, Norge, och Tyskland har alla pilotprojekt eller kommersiell drift av autonoma fordon för persontransport. I Sverige har flera piloter genomförts med mindre sofistikerad självkörning.Syftet med det här projektet var att analysera de hinder och möjliggörare som finns för en storskalig implementering av automatiserade transporter i Sverige och målet med projektet var att erbjuda Vinnova rekommendationer för att stötta införande av automatiserade transporter i SverigeProjektet inkluderade litteraturstudier, workshops, och intervjuer. Litteraturstudien visade att många initiativ fokuserat på möjliggörande teknologier inom automatiserade transporter i Sverige. Tidigare forskningsprojekt som fokuserat på kartläggning har identifierat viktiga hinder såsom otydlighet kring aktörsansvar och behovet av koordinerad samverkan. Framgångsrika internationella exempel, som Hamburgs samarbete med MOIA, kan tjäna som modell för svenska implementeringar. Det brittiska ramverket för autonoma fordon kan också ge vägledning för svensk lagstiftning.Projektet genererade en lista med rekommendationer för Vinnova. Fyra potentiella strategier för Sveriges roll inom automatiserade transporter identifierades och speglas i näringspolitiska och trafikpolitiska perspektiv. Fokus ligger i dessa strategier på att antingen attrahera internationella företag, genomföra stora effektfulla demonstrationsprojekt, stärka inhemska innovationer, eller att avvakta med AD.

Graphene is an exciting novel material that possesses incredible characteristics, including high electrical and thermal conductivity, lightweight, flexibility and exceptional strength. It would be useful in many diverse applications but the high cost of producing graphene is an obstacle to large-scale production. A novel method to produce wood-derived graphene through Laser-Induced Graphitization (LIG) has been developed as a sustainable alternative to its fossil precursor. This study aims at addressing this method´s environmental sustainability by comparing it to the fossil-derived precursors. Therefore, an explorative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach is adopted to compare the environmental impact of the new production method to multiple types of fossil-derived graphene production. The study is a Cradle-to-Gate LCA with a declared unit of 1 kg produced graphene in liquid suspension which assesses 18 midpoint impact categories. Key findings indicate that while wood-derived LIG graphene shows potential for reduced environmental impacts, key challenges remain in optimizing energy efficiency and material inputs. The novel method´s hotspot is highlighted as the large use of electricity especially during laser graphitization followed by material inputs such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Sensitivity and scenario analyses highlight the importance of parameter optimization in the production process to minimize environmental burdens. This research contributes to the sustainable materials field by identifying critical areas for improvement in the LIG process and providing a foundation for future studies aimed at enhancing the environmental performance of wood-derived LIG graphene production.

In recent years, fire accidents on Ro-Ro ships have led to numerous fatalities and significant economic losses. The response of the crew and the ship's protection systems are crucial in managing these incidents and mitigating their consequences. To assess fire safety improvements, this study has focused on developing and quantifying a risk model that captures the dynamics of a fire starting in a Ro-Ro space. Various risk modelling techniques were reviewed to construct the model, which was then quantified using historical data, simulations, and expert judgments. A Delphi-based, fully digital approach to expert elicitation was introduced, utilizing Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Excel-based questionnaires. This method ensured full anonymity for the experts, reducing the risk of group bias and eliminating the need for travel. To enhance understanding and verify the results, uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were performed. They revealed that the potential loss of life deviated, with 90% confidence, from the calculated mean value by less than 26%. Overall, the questionnaire-based method proved effective for expert elicitation and for quantifying nodes in the risk model, demonstrating its utility in the risk assessment process.

Hygienisation at biogas plants – Proposal for additional national standard methods To be able to merchandise manure or digestate, the material must be sanitized to en-sure infection control. Swedish biogas facilities today have the choice between using one of two standard methods (at least 1 h at 70 °C, or 10 h at 52 °C) or going through a costly validation process if using alternative parameters. The main aim of this project has been to increase the profitability in the handling of biofertilizers by developing ad-ditional approved national standard methods for hygienization and thereby simplify the validation process. To achieve this, we have conducted interviews with stakeholders to find out which hygienisation parameters are most interesting for them. We have also compared the situation in other European countries and quantitatively and qualitative-ly reviewed scientific studies considering hygiene and inactivation data of microorgan-isms. However, the largest part of the project was laboratory studies where we generat-ed novel inactivation data for the heat-tolerant bacterium Salmonella Senftenberg W775 at different temperatures and time intervals. The requirement for an approved hygienisation is a 5-log reduction of the bacteria. The choice of input parameters in the lab studies was based on literature as well as on the interviews where often preference for hygienization at lower temperature was expressed to save energy and to avoid the need to adapt the equipment to higher temperatures.

Another request that emerged from the interviews was that, in connection with empty-ing vessels, they want to avoid leaving bottom sediment for destruction, which is a cost-ly procedure. Therefore, we have investigated the inactivation data of the roundworm Ascaris suum using limestome combined with heat treatment.

Based on our results, we propose the establishment of the following methods as new Swedish national methods for hygienisation: 1. Heat treatment of substrate for 3.5 hours at 60 °C 3 2. Heat treatment of substrate for 1 hour at 65 °C 3 3. Heat treatment of pure, source-separated food waste for 1 hour at 52 °C 4. Addition of at least 5 mass-% of lime (CaO) to bottom sediment4, and ensuring a temperature of at least 65 °C for at least 15 minutes.

Our assessment and recommendation are that the Swedish regulating authority can use the data regarding proposed treatment methods to approve new or existing biogas plants without the need to carry out a complete validation process including in-situ killing trials.

The demand for maritime transport has increased with the growing demand for worldwide trade.This has led to a major increase in maritime traffic and ship sizes over the last decades, whichraises the probability of accidents. The methods used in maritime risk assessments today arebased on old hypotheses that do not include all data available today. The main objective of thisthesis is to develop numerical models and methods for the analysis of what is considered asnormal navigation behaviour at sea today and improve the analysis of probability for shipbridge allisions.The first part of the thesis describes what is considered as normal meeting distance at sea today.This information is later used while identifying failure events to ensure that the event behaviourwas not caused by other ships. These few cases are excluded from the methodology since thecommunication and situational awareness in the situations are not known. However, whilestudying the probability of ship-bridge accidents, it is also important to understand howwaterway restrictions may affect the probability of ship-ship collisions. Therefore, this thesisalso includes a study of how the improved knowledge concerning meeting distance could beused in a near ship-ship collision identification model. One of the main findings consideringnormal meeting distance is that small and large ships meet each other at a similar distance atsea.In the second part of the thesis, a methodology is proposed to estimate the probability of shipbridge allision. The presented methodology uses Automatic Identification System (AIS) dataand a ship manoeuvring simulator to simulate and analyse marine traffic with regards to risksfor accidents, such as ship-bridge allisions. A failure event identification method is alsopresented, which is needed to determine the frequency, duration and behaviour for the accidentscenarios. The three events that were modelled and simulated in the simulator were: driftingship, sharp turning ship and missing turning point. The probability of the different failure eventscorresponded to previous statistics confirming the AIS-based methodology. This means themethods to obtain the probability and duration of the failure events could be utilised in otherareas. The simulation methodology was confirmed with the probability of grounding in theGreat Belt VTS area.This thesis firstly contributes to a better understanding of the modelling of probability for shipbridge allisions. This will support bridge-building engineers who need to take into accountaccidental loads from ship-bridge allision while designing bridges. Secondly, this thesis alsocontributes to a better representation of normal beha

Circular Economy Outlook är en undersökning och analys av företagens cirkulära omställning i Sverige och Norden. Eftersom de flesta materialflöden går genom företagen behöver vi förstå med vilken omfattning och intensitet bolagen arbetar för cirkularitet: från mål och val av cirkulära strategier till mätbara resultat. Problemet. Ungefär hälften (av de globala klimatutsläppen kan elimineras genom minimering av utvinning och maximering av användning, återanvändning och återvinning av material. De nordiska länderna presterar dåligt: vi ligger alla under det globala genomsnittet för cirkularitet på 7,2%4 – som tyvärr stadigt sjunker. Möjligheten. Cirkulär ekonomi är en förutsättning för klimatomställning och ett hållbart samhälle. Vi ser en växande medvetenhet och engagemang hos näringslivet. Att skapa förutsättningar för företagens omställning bör därför vara en prioritet för samhället. Syfte. Det finns utmärkta studier på nationella materialflöden uppifrån-ner. Men det finns (tills nu) ingen storskalig datadriven undersökning av företagens cirkulära aktiviteter nerifrån–upp. De frågor vi försöker besvara i denna studie tror vi behövs för att möjliggöra en saklig diskussion om och acceleration av näringslivets omställning och utformning av effektiva styrmedel. Metod. Analysen i denna rapport omfattar en kvantitativ studie av samtliga bolag som är noterade på LargeCap-, MidCap- och SmallCap-listorna samt ett mindre urval onoterade småföretag (10–49 anställda). I studien ingår även kvalitativa intervjuer med ett representativt urval bolag och samtal med en lång rad experter och intressenter. Vi redovisar analys och resultat i två publikationer: 1. en svensk delrapport (denna publikation) och 2. en nordisk rapport på engelska (publiceras under hösten). Koncept. I den kvalitativa enkäten har vi utvecklat och tillämpat en frågematris där vi för varje cirkulär strategi ställt nio frågor om prevalens, viktighet, mål, genomförande, mätning, pengar, drivkrafter, konkurrenter och hinder. Svaren har genererat högupplöst data som möjliggör en mängd olika typer av analyser. Svarsfrekvens. I denna delrapport ingår 196 enkätsvar från och 28 intervjuer med svenska företag. Svarsfrekvensen för enkäten är hög: 38% av de noterade bolagen på Stockholmsbörsens tre huvudlistor har svarat (137 av 363). Resultat. Detta är den första breda undersökningen av hur svenska företag arbetar med cirkulär ekonomi. Studien ger oss inblick i aktivitet, motiv och behov. Den vanligaste drivkraften för cirkulära strategier är affärsmöjligheter. Det vanligaste hindret är bristande efterfrågan eller att bolagen fastnat i en linjär affärsmodell. Samtidigt är det få bolag som själva ställer cirkulära krav på sina leverantörer. En femtedel uppger att de gör det enbart när de tvingas av kunder eller myndigheter. En majoritet förväntar sig att deras konkurrenter kommer att utveckla signifikanta cirkulära förmågor de närmaste åren. 90% uppger att de i någon mån arbetar med minst en cirkulär strategi, men bara hälften av dessa jobbar med genomförande. De bolag som har mål och mäter måluppfyllnad indikerar att de jobbar med genomförande i fyra gånger högre utsträckning än bolag utan mål. Det som mäts blir alltså gjort. Eller: de som formulerar mål ser till att genomföra dem.

Plant-based analogues (PBAs) for meat and dairy are typically categorised as ultra-processed foods. However, current evidence that PBA consumption negatively impacts health is controversial. As such, these products may be inappropriately negatively coloured by the “processed foods are unhealthy” heuristic. We investigated the strength of this heuristic among Swedish consumers and explored its impact on perceived healthiness within different food categories (meat, dairy, seafood, vegetables/legumes, and PBAs). In an online experiment, participants (N=563) rated the healthiness and level of processing of 24 food products (presented as images), completed the food technology neophobia (FTN) scale, and reported consumption frequency of different foods. The results indicated that this heuristic, measured as Pearson’s r between perceived healthiness and level of processing, was prevalent and robust (posterior mean = -0.58, probability of association>99 %) as well as stronger among women and individuals with higher FTN. Moreover, the impact of the heuristic differed across food categories: healthiness ratings for vegetable/legume and seafood products perceived as processed were more negatively impacted compared to those for meat products (probability of association>99 %). The potential implications of this for the protein shift and encouraging substituting red meat with products based on raw materials associated with health (i.e., plants and seafood) are discussed. 

Food neophobia (FN) – the reluctance to try novel foods – may have served a protective, evolutionary function against consuming harmful foods. In modern societies, however, FN is a major barrier that limits dietary variety and negatively impacts acceptance of both new and familiar foods. Using an online survey (adults living in Sweden, n = 946) this study investigated the influence of FN on sensory expectations of five types of seafood (salmon, herring, oysters, octopus, and seaweed; presented as labelled images). Participants rated expected liking, emotional arousal, and perceived familiarity (quantitative scales) and described the sensory aspects they expected to like and dislike using their own words (open-ended responses). The open-ended responses were evaluated qualitatively and categorized into four sensory modalities (appearance, aroma, taste, and texture). Expected liking was highest for salmon (followed by herring, seaweed, and lastly octopus and oysters), and FN was negatively associated with expected liking for all species except salmon, possibly due to being familiar and regularly consumed in Sweden. Logistic regression was used to evaluate whether the likelihood of spontaneously mentioning each sensory modality as liked or disliked varied by species and FN score. This revealed that participants were more likely to mention liking aspects of taste and texture than aroma and appearance for all samples except oysters. Texture was commonly disliked for herring, oysters, and octopus, but not for salmon and seaweed. Higher FN scores increased the likelihood of mentioning all sensory modalities as disliked and decreased the likelihood of mentioning all sensory modalities as liked. Thus, higher levels of FN were associated with both an increased focus on sensory disliking, and lower expected sensory enjoyment across all modalities. These results suggest that FN may be at least partly driven by heightened sensory responsiveness and highlight the importance of understanding expectations prior to tasting.

Denna rapport behandlar digital resiliens inom hälsa, sjukvård och omsorg. Rapporten belyser hur resilienta digitala system och enheter är avgörande för att upprätthålla samhällsviktiga funktioner och möta ökande digitala hot. Den syftar till att beskriva hur de digitala miljöerna av sektorn kan motstå, hantera och återhämta sig från störningar för att säkerställa kontinuerlig funktion och säkerhet. Sverige är ett av världens mest digitaliserade länder och har en tradition av att utveckla, ta till sig, acceptera och nyttja digital teknik. Denna snabba digitalisering har bidragit till effektivisering och innovation men har också öppnat upp för nya sårbarheter. Cyberangrepp har ökat globalt och nationellt, vilket gör resiliens i digitala system allt viktigare. Hälso- och sjukvård och omsorgssektorn i Sverige består av många olika aktörer, inklusive statliga myndigheter, regioner och kommuner samt privata vårdgivare och producenter. Lagstiftning reglerar sektorns organisation och ansvar, med målet är att säkerställa en god hälsa och vård på lika villkor för alla. Digitala system spelar en central roll i att tillhandahålla kvalitativ vård och omsorg, från hantering av patientjournaler och distribution av läkemedel till kommunikationsverktyg, välfärdsteknik och viktig forskning. Digitaliseringen inom sektorn innebär stora möjligheter men också betydande utmaningar. Digitala system måste vara tillförlitliga, säkra och tillgängliga. Resiliens innebär förmågan att stå emot och återhämta sig från cyberangrepp, tekniska fel och andra störningar, samtidigt som systemens funktionalitet bibehålls. Utmaningarna inkluderar att hålla jämna steg med den tekniska utvecklingen, säkerställa hög cybersäkerhet och hantera de organisatoriska samt mänskliga aspekterna av digitalisering. Sektorn står inför flera utmaningar för att säkerställa digital resiliens. En av de största är att balansera innovation och effektivitet med behovet av säkerhet och skydd av exempelvis känslig patientdata. Vårdsektorn är ofta dåligt förberedd för cyberhot, och det krävs betydande insatser för att höja medvetenheten och kompetensen inom området. Ansvarsfördelningen i en alltmer digitaliserad vårdmiljö är också komplex, och det finns ett behov av tydliga roller och ansvar. Rapporten framhåller vikten av utbildning, standardisering och innovationsledning för att stärka den digitala resiliensen. Kontinuerlig kompetenshöjning för medarbetare är avgörande för att säkerställa att systemen fungerar och är säkra. Organisatoriska strukturer, starkt ledarskap och en kultur som främjar innovation och säkerhet är också centrala för att uppnå resiliens. Extern samverkan och kunskapsutbyte mellan olika vårdaktörer är kritiskt för att hantera digitala hot. En gemensam digital infrastruktur kan minska administrativa bördor och förbättra patientvården genom snabbare och mer tillförlitlig informationsdelning. Användningen av standarder och uppdaterad lagstiftning kan ytterligare stödja digital resiliens genom att säkerställa att säkerhetsåtgärder följer de senaste riktlinjerna. Den svenska hälso- och sjukvården och omsorgen är komplex i sin struktur, sin ansvarsfördelning och sitt utförande vilket kräver samordnade insatser på flera nivåer för att säkerställa dess digitala resiliens. Genom en ökad förståelse för komplexiteten, resiliens och en ökad samordning som bygger på tillit är det möjligt att skapa en hållbar och resilient hälso-, sjukvård och omsorgssektor.

Det är under all kritik att så många doktorander mår dåligt och inte färdigställer sina avhandlingar. Vi mer seniora akademiker har ett medmänskligt ansvar att etablera strukturer som tar hand om våra kollegor. Omtanke om våra doktoranders utveckling behövs då vi designar strukturer för doktorerande så väl som handledande. I denna artikel argumenterar jag för att omtanken om doktorandens utveckling bör vara en utgångspunkt i handledningsarbetet. Med hjälp av omtanke blir det enklare att: hitta rätt nivå för krav och mål, erkänna brister i handledarskapet, prata problem i satta maktrelationer, hantera utmaningar från den våldsamma akademin, med mera. Att bry sig om doktorandens utveckling innebär många olika saker under resans gång. Även om det i artikeln konkretiseras vad omtanke om doktorandens utveckling kan innebära, så är poängen snarare att det blir enklare att inse vad god handledning är, ifall omtanken om doktorandens väl är en utgångpunkt i handledningsarbetet.

In this project the possibility to detect resin pockets on the surface and inside wood products with near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy were investigated. This project is a laboratory study, where samples provided by IKEA were scanned at the wood and fiber analysis laboratory at RISE.

Different samples with and without resin pockets were scanned with a NIR line camera. Linear partial least squares regression models were built to determine the presence of these defects. Models were then applied on samples outside the calibration data set to validate how well they can predict resin pockets hidden below the surface of new samples.

The measurement method could not detect resin pockets below the wood surface. Samples containing resin pockets beneath the surface would, however, often have generally elevated resin content levels at the surface that was not visible to the naked eye, but identifiable with the NIR-camera. Consequently, the method could help to identify wood components that may give problems in the lacquering process or may result in product reclamations due to resin bleeding at a later stage.

The global impact of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on climate change is undeniable, with carbon dioxide (CO2) identified as the primary contributor to global warming. Urgent action is required to mitigate global warming by reducing anthropogenic CO2 emissions to achieve net-zero levels. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) stands as a proven technology to curtail CO2 emissions from various sources by capturing and sequestering CO2 in geological formations. To address the challenge of deploying CCS on a global scale, it is crucial to accurately quantify the captured, transported, and stored CO2 since quantification underpins regulations and commercial contracts. However, the lack of standardization in CCS projects and measurement methodologies poses a significant challenge, necessitating a common measurement framework to ensure the transparency and reliability of these efforts. This article provides a comprehensive review, with 211 references, of the latest results and operating conditions for current measurement technologies covering the entire measuring system and not just a single instrument. As such, it is a first-of-its-kind effort at establishing a comprehensive framework for CCS measurement. This article serves as a source of references and as a step toward developing an international documentary standard for the transferred CO2 measurement. By addressing measurement challenges and providing comprehensive recommendations for future research, it contributes to the ongoing efforts to mitigate global warming through the widespread deployment of CCS technology.

In the present study, the application of a magnetic tracer-tracking method in measuring solids circulation in a fluidized bed standpipe is investigated, due to its advantages of little intervention and cost efficiency, especially in pressurized systems. The method only needs to inject one small magnetic tracer to follow the main solid flow in the standpipe, therefore predicting particles’ real-time velocities. The measurement accuracy was thoroughly tested via comparing to conventional descending and accumulation methods. Main tracer properties, including tracer shape, density, and magnet core, were considered. Solids flow patterns in the standpipe were also regulated by changing orifice sizes and adding an inclined pipe, for the purpose of investigating the measurement accuracy in various conditions. The adverse effect of a narrow orifice on measurement was addressed via constructing a model that includes sand particles’ non-uniform velocity distribution across the standpipe cross-section. To interpret behaviors of tracers varied in size and density, a mathematical model was constructed to describe forces exerted on the tracer in the solids bed. The behaviors of the tracer immersed into the solids bed were also examined, providing an insight to that in a standpipe with continuous solids circulation. The solids bed density was also regulated by varying the mixture of olivine sand and carbonaceous particles at different proportions. The magnetic tracer-tracking method has been successfully validated, demonstrating good measurement accuracy of solids discharge flow rates in the standpipe, particularly avoiding cumbersome calibration. Moreover, the method can also determine sand waving and oscillated discharge behaviors, which might be related to solids’ stick–slip phenomena and is unlikely to be accurately determined using conventional descending and accumulation methods. 

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is considered as a future key technology to provide baseload electricity, heat, pulp, paper, and biofuels, while also enabling atmospheric carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Sweden seeks to lead the way in bringing this technology up to scale, introducing a EUR 3.6 billion reverse auction scheme to facilitate market entry of companies producing BECCS. We explore instrument design preferences among politicians, regulators, and prospective BECCS operators to identify trade-offs and explore feasible policy design. Based on 35 interviews with experts in the latent BECCS sector in Sweden, we identify under which circumstances prospective operators would be willing to place bids and discuss how actor preferences both align with and challenge auction theory. The analysis concludes that at least four dilemmas need attention. These concerns how to: (1) balance the state’s demand for BECCS to be implemented already in 2030 against the prospective BECCS operators’ fear of the winner’s curse, i.e., a fear of bidding for a contract that turns out to be too costly to implement; (2) allocate contracts at the margin of the auctioneer’s demand for BECCS without driving up costs; (3) design compliance mechanism to achieve effectiveness without undermining efficiency, and; 4) integrate the auction with the voluntary carbon market—if at all—in a manner that safeguards the environmental integrity of the auctions. 

Composite materials with 3-dimensional (3D) reinforcement were manufactured and corresponding simulation models were created in parallel. The used simulation approach has earlier been shown to produce close to authentic geometrical representation of the yarn architecture in 3D reinforcement. It is shown that although the as-woven reinforcement pattern can be modelled quite reliably, significant distortion from the nominal fibre arrangement might take place later in manufacturing, primarily related to compression during moulding. Such effects have earlier received significant attention for composites with 2-dimensional reinforcement but not as much for their 3D counterparts. The yarns in the real and the simulated materials are studied and compared, and some of the discrepancies and the mechanisms behind are discussed. The distortions are partly attributed to the relatively sparse weave that allows yarns oriented in the through-thickness direction, in particular, to deviate from their original positions. 

Lightweight, energy-efficient materials in building construction typically include polymeric and composite foams. However, these materials pose significant fire hazards due to their high combustibility and toxic gas emissions, including carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide. This study delves into the latter aspects by comparing hybrid systems based on nanofiber-reinforced silica-based Pickering foams with a synthetic reference (polyurethane foams). The extent and dynamics of fire retardancy and toxic gas evolution were assessed, and the results revealed the benefits of combining the thermal insulation of silica with the structural strength of biobased nanofibers, the latter of which included anionic and phosphorylated cellulose as well as chitin nanofibers. We demonstrate that the nanofiber-reinforced silica-based Pickering foams are thermal insulative and provide both fire safety and energy efficiency. The results set the basis for the practical design of hybrid foams to advance environmental sustainability goals by reducing energy consumption in built environments. 

Food contact materials (FCMs) i.e. materials that food is packaged or handled in, must be safe for their intended use. European FCM legislation uses a risk-based approach, with a cornerstone of FCM’s safety evaluation being measurement of migration of substances from FCMs to food simulants. The standard methods mainly developed for plastic FCMs are not always suitable for less inert and moisture sensitive materials such as paper and board. However, these are becoming increasingly common as FCMs e.g. to replace single-use plastics. In addition, there is a drive to further use recycled materials. To support this development, new methods for assessing the safety of these materials are needed. In the present feasibility study, a hydrogel crosslinked through freeze-thawing of poly(vinyl alcohol) was evaluated as a food simulant for moist foods. The migration of surrogate compounds from a spiked paperboard to the hydrogel was determined and compared to the migration to a real moist food (a slice of apple), the commonly used modified polyphenylene oxide (MPPO) and a water extract. Migration of polar surrogates to the hydrogel correlated well with the migration to the apple slice. However, our results indicate that the hydrogel is less suitable as simulant for non-polar surrogates. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of this hydrogel-based simulant for improving risk assessment of less inert FCMs. 

For the first time in a telemonitoring context, we apply the Rome Proposal (RP), recently adopted by GOLD 2023, to assess the severity of exacerbations (ECOPD). So far, we have analysed 387 study weeks, which include only 18 ECOPDs; 4 mild, 13 moderate and 1 severe according to the criteria from RP. There is a promising potential of telemonitoring based on the RP.

Industrial thermal plasma torches can heat a gas up to 5000–20,000 K, i.e., well above the temperature needed to replace the heat generated from the combustion of traditional fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, and natural gas) in large-scale process industry furnaces producing construction materials (e.g., iron, steel, lime, and cement). However, there is a risk for significant NOx emissions when air or N2 are used as plasma-forming gas since the temperature somewhere in the furnace always will be higher compared to the threshold NOx formation temperature of ∼1800 K. Torch NOx forms inside the high temperature region of the plasma torch (>5000 K) when air is used as gas. Process NOx forms instead when the hot gas (when air or nitrogen is used as plasma forming gas) from the plasma torch mixes with process air downstream the torch. By analysing the complex chemistry of both the torch- and process NOx formation with thermodynamic equilibrium and one-dimensional chemical kinetic calculations it was shown that adding H2 to the plasma-forming N2 gas significantly reduces the NOx emissions with more than 90 %. Verifying experiments with air, pure N2, and mixtures of H2 and N2 as plasma-forming gas were performed in a laboratory scale insulated laboratory furnace with different pre-heating temperatures of process air (293, 673, and 1073 K) which the plasma gas mixes with downstream the torch. Depending on the pre-heating temperature the NOx emissions were between 12,000–14,000 mg NO2/MJfuel when air was used as plasma forming gas. Substantial NOx emission reduction occurs both when N2 replaces air, where the NOx emissions was in the span of 8000–11,500 mg NO2/MJfuel and furthermore when H2 was mixed into the N2 gas stream. For the highest degree of H2 mixing (28.6 vol-%), the NOx emissions were between 450–1700 mg NO2/MJfuel depending on the pre-heat temperature of the process air, i.e., a reduction of 88–96 % and 85–94 %, respectively when air or N2 was used as plasma forming gas. The measured NOx emissions are then of the same order of magnitude as would be expected from the combustion of traditional fuels (coal, oil, biomass and pure H2). Finally, by analysing the aerodynamics in an axisymmetric furnace with an experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model using reduced chemistry for the NOx formation (19 species and 70 reactions), further guidelines into the process of NOx reduction from thermal plasma torches are given. 

This paper presents mode-I fracture energy release rates (GI) of European beech wood (Fagus sylvatica) adhesive bonds for three common types of adhesives pressed with two levels of pressure and glued with three spread rates. Flat double cantilever beam tests with a shear corrected compliance method were used to derive GI. A high pressing pressure of 1.0 versus 0.1 MPa resulted in higher GI-values for phenol resorcinol formaldehyde and melamine urea formaldehyde adhesive systems (not significant), but did not affect the polyvinyl acetate system. A low adhesive spread rate of 50 g m−2 clearly resulted in lower GI-values for all three systems, while no clear differences were found between spread rates of 100–200 g m−2 for the formaldehyde systems. The herein presented GI-values of beech adhesive bonds can be used to further evaluate the suitability of beech in glued load-bearing timber structures and promote optimising beech wood-adhesive systems for high GI.

ELOQUENT is a set of shared tasks for evaluating the quality and usefulness of generative language models. ELOQUENT aims to apply high-level quality criteria, grounded in experiences from deploying models in real-life tasks, and to formulate tests for those criteria, preferably implemented to require minimal human assessment effort and in a multilingual setting. One of the tasks for the first year of ELOQUENT was the robustness task, in which we assessed the robustness and consistency of a model output given variation in the input prompts. We found that indeed the consistency varied, both across prompt items and across models, and on a methodological note we find that using a oracle model for assessing the submitted responses is feasible, and intend to investigate consistency across such assessments for different oracle models. We intend to run this task in coming editions for ELOQUENT to establish a solid methodology for further assessing consistency, which we believe to be a crucial component of trustworthiness as a top level quality characteristic of generative language models. 

This paper characterised the potential of energy flexibility in relation to building envelop properties, heat emitters and ventilation for the Swedish context. Simulation results indicated that the potential was higher for newer houses with floor heating and lower for older houses with radiators in winter. Older houses with different levels of insulation showed a similar ability of conserving heat due to different extents of heat losses from ventilation. A house with balanced ventilation tended to be over-ventilated especially if the house was not airtight. The flexibility was decreased with increasing outdoor temperatures, and it was higher in winter and lower in spring/autumn. 

Cattle develop preferential relationships with other individuals in the herd. These social interactions between individuals have a significant impact on both animal welfare and production. Given the relevance of social behaviour in dairy cattle, scientific studies have focused on understanding social interactions among cattle. These may also be influenced by individual area preferences, particularly when animals are housed in confined spaces. Therefore, investigating the relationship between individual area preferences and social interactions is essential for understanding social behaviour in dairy cattle. Real-time location systems provide the opportunity to monitor individual area preferences and social contacts at the same time. This study aims to assess the impact of dairy cows’ area preferences on their daily social contacts and to determine the potential implications of overlooking individual area preferences in social behaviour studies. The individual position of the lactating cows was automatically collected once per second for two months on a Swedish commercial farm housing dairy cows inside a free-stall barn. The location data of 243 lactating cows was used to construct the social networks and to estimate the similarity of the area utilisation distributions between these individuals. The effect of utilisation distribution similarity in social networks was investigated by applying separable temporal exponential random graph mixed models. The role of different cow characteristics in the similarity of the utilisation distributions was assessed through a linear mixed model. Our analyses stressed the importance of similarity of area preference, parity, kindergarten effect, and filial relatedness in shaping daily social contacts in dairy cattle. The kindergarten effect refers to the effect on cow behaviour of being grouped together in the early stages of their lives. Similarity of area preference was influenced by the kindergarten effect and relatedness by pedigree, which favoured interactions between these individuals. The described approach allowed to disassociate the area preference from the social contacts between cows, providing more accurate results of the importance of the cow’s characteristics on their social behaviour. 

The environmental impact is a strong incentive for the development of upcycling processes for textile waste. However, toxic chemicals may occur in both brand-new textiles and post-consumer garments, and the chemical transfer in such routes is important to investigate. The present study applied non-target screening and quantification with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to follow the fate of hazardous chemicals from post-consumer polycotton garments to a new material, cellulose nanocrystals, in a chemical upcycling utilizing strongly acidic conditions. The majority of hazardous chemicals detected within the process were found to be transferred to a residual of polyester material and not to the enriched cellulose. However, phthalates were found to be mainly attached to the cellulose nanocrystals. The detected total concentration, in this case, was below 5 μg/g, at least 200 times lower than the limit set by the European Union. This indicates the importance of monitoring and controlling the phthalate content in the starting material of the process, i.e., the post-consumer garments. The chemical release into the process waste effluent could be estimated based on water solubility data for chemicals under the applied conditions. Three compounds, the water-repellent substance perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and the dyes Crystal Violet and Victoria Pure Blue, were almost entirely transferred into the process waste effluent. Although the levels detected were very low in the present pilot process, their presence eventually indicates the need for wastewater purification at further upscaling, depending on the exposure and dose in relation to toxicological relevant thresholds. 

Adaptive Laboratory Evolution (ALE) of microorganisms can improve the efficiency of sustainable industrial processes important to the global economy. However, stochasticity and genetic background effects often lead to suboptimal outcomes during laboratory evolution. Here we report an ALE platform to circumvent these shortcomings through parallelized clonal evolution at an unprecedented scale. Using this platform, we evolved 104 yeast populations in parallel from many strains for eight desired wine fermentation-related traits. Expansions of both ALE replicates and lineage numbers broadened the evolutionary search spectrum leading to improved wine yeasts unencumbered by unwanted side effects. At the genomic level, evolutionary gains in metabolic characteristics often coincided with distinct chromosome amplifications and the emergence of side-effect syndromes that were characteristic of each selection niche. Several high-performing ALE strains exhibited desired wine fermentation kinetics when tested in larger liquid cultures, supporting their suitability for application. More broadly, our high-throughput ALE platform opens opportunities for rapid optimization of microbes which otherwise could take many years to accomplish.

High performance concrete (HPC) is a quite novel material which has been rapidly developed in the last few decades. It exhibits superior mechanical properties and durability comparing to normal concrete. HPC can achieve also superior tensile performance if strong fibres (steel or carbon) are implemented in the matrix. Thus, there exist the unabated interest in studying how the addition of different types of fibres modifies the behaviour of HPC. Nowadays, a standard numerical approaches to model the behaviour of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) are carried out by means of the smeared or discrete crack modelling of homogenous media with appropriately changed stress-strain relationships. The objective of this paper is to develop a new and efficient mesoscale modelling approach for steel fibre reinforced high-performance concrete. The main idea of presented approach is to assume the fully 3D modelling with taking into account explicitly the distribution and orientation of the steel fibres. As a benchmark, results obtained from experimental campaign on beams and panels made from high-performance concrete with steel fibres of different sizes and dosages were taken. Results of numerical simulations were directly compared with experimental outcomes in order to validate and calibrate FE-model and to introduce the efficient numerical modelling tool.

The “Voight-Kampff” Generative AI Authorship Verification task aims to determine whether a text was generated by an AI or written by a human. As in its fictional inspiration,1 the Voight-Kampff task structures AI detection as a builder-breaker challenge: The builders, participants in the PAN lab, submit software to detect AI-written text and the breakers, participants in the ELOQUENT lab, submit AI-written text with the goal of fooling the builders. We formulate the task in a way that is reminiscent of a traditional authorship verification problem, where given a pair of texts, their human or machine authorship is to be inferred. For this first task installment, we further restrict the problem so that each pair is guaranteed to contain one human and one machine text. Hence the task description reads: Given two texts, one authored by a human, one by a machine: pick out the human. In total, we evaluated 43 detection systems (30 participant submissions and 13 baselines), ranging from linear classifiers to perplexity-based zero-shot systems. We tested them on 70 individual test set variants organized in 14 base collections, each designed on different constraints such as short texts, Unicode obfuscations, or language switching. The top systems achieve very high scores, proving themselves not perfect but sufficiently robust across a wide range of specialized testing regimes. Code used for creating the datasets and evaluating the systems, baselines, and data are available on GitHub.

Nearly 40 % current global annual energy-related CO2 emissions come from the fossil fuel-dominated power sector. Accurately accounting for carbon emissions in power systems from the consumption-based perspective is crucial for achieving the low-carbon power transition. Consumption-based carbon accounting has emerged as a major research focus, which aids in the implementation of targeted measures such as low-carbon demand response and dispatch. Choosing an appropriate method to account carbon emission needs thorough consideration of characteristics of various methods. There still lacks a systematic review that concludes the essence and application status of these methods, as well as comparing their advantages and disadvantages. To address this gap, a consumption-based carbon accounting framework for power systems is proposed. This framework groups four typical methods into two perspectives: Attributional methods and consequential methods. The principles, calculation approaches, and research application status of these methods are comprehensively summarized in a transparent, integrated and comparative manner, which makes progress in two critical limitations: (i) temporal and spatial granularity, and (ii) consideration of the actual topology and operational constraints of the power grid. As improvements in the transparency and quality of electricity data and expansion of application scenarios, the flexibility and applicability of the framework will continue to improve to achieve the unity of efficiency and fairness. The proposed framework can serve as a valuable guide to conducting research and exploration on low-carbon energy management, policy and regulatory decisions and to inform the development of effective strategies for the low-carbon transition of power systems. 

Vanadis 4E (V4E) is a powder metallurgical cold work tool steel predominantly used in application with demand for wear resistance, high hardness, and toughness. It is of interest to have a processing route that enables full density starting from clean gas-atomized powder allowing component shaping capabilities. This study presents a process involving freeze granulation of powder to facilitate compaction by means of cold isostatic pressing, followed by sintering to allow for capsule-free hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and subsequent heat treatments of fully densified specimens. The sintering stage has been studied in particular, and it is shown how sintering in pure nitrogen at 1150 °C results in predominantly closed porosity, while sintering at 1200 °C gives near full density. Microstructural investigation shows that vanadium-rich carbonitride (MX) is formed as a result of the nitrogen uptake during sintering, with coarser appearance for the higher temperature. Nearly complete densification, approximately 7.80 ± 0.01 g/cm3, was achieved after sintering at 1200 °C, and after sintering at 1150 °C, followed by capsule-free HIP, hardening, and tempering. Irrespective of processing once the MX is formed, the nitrogen is locked into this phase and the austenite is stabilised, which means any tempering tends to result in a mixture of austenite and tempered martensite, the former being predominate during the sequential tempering, whereas martensite formation during cooling from austenitization temperatures becomes limited. 

A partial ichthyosaur skeleton from the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) bituminous shales of the ‘Schistes Carton’ unit of southern Luxembourg is described and illustrated. In addition, associated remnant soft tissues are analyzed using a combination of imaging and molecular techniques. The fossil (MNHNL TV344) comprises scattered appendicular elements, together with a consecutive series of semi-articulated vertebrae surrounded by extensive soft-tissue remains. We conclude that TV344 represents a skeletally immature individual (possibly of the genus Stenopterygius) and that the soft parts primarily consist of fossilized skin, including the epidermis (with embedded melanophore pigment cells and melanosome organelles) and dermis. Ground sections of dorsal ribs display cortical microstructures reminiscent of lines of arrested growth (LAGs), providing an opportunity for a tentative age determination of the animal at the time of death (>3 years). It is further inferred that the exceptional preservation of TV344 was facilitated by seafloor dysoxia/anoxia with periodical intervals of oxygenation, which triggered phosphatization and the subsequent formation of a carbonate concretion. 

We present a framework –Digi-DOP- that includes a series of evidence-based recommendations to design and apply cognitive interventions for people with Neurocognitive Disorders (NCDs) using a relatively new approach, the Differential Outcomes Procedure (DOP). To do so, we critically review the substantial experimental research conducted with relevant clinical and non-clinical populations, and the theoretical underpinnings of this procedure. We further discuss how existing digital technologies that have been used for cognitive interventions could be applied to overcome some of the limitations of DOP-based interventions and further enhance DOP benefits. Specifically, we present three digital DOP developments that are currently being designed, investigated and/or tested. Finally, we discuss constraints, ethical and legal considerations that need to be taken into account to ensure that the use of technology in DOP-based interventions proposed here does not widen disparities and inequalities. We hope that this framework will inform and guide digital health leaders and developers, researchers and healthcare professionals to design and apply DOP-based interventions for people with NCDs. 

Anisotropic transport properties have been assessed in a number of cuprate superconductors, providing evidence for a nematic state. We have recently shown that in ultra-thin YBa2Cu3O7−δ films, where nematicity is induced via strain engineering, there is a suppression of charge density wave scattering along the orthorhombic a-axis and a concomitant enhancement of strange metal behavior along the b-axis. Here we develop a microscopic model, that is based on the strong interaction between the substrate facets and the thin film, to account for the unconventional phenomenology. Based on the atomic force microscopy imaging of the substrates’ surface, the model is able to predict the absence (presence) of nematicity and the resulting transport properties in films grown on SrTiO3 (MgO) substrates. Our result paves the way to new tuning capabilities of the ground state of high-temperature superconductors by substrate engineering. 

In the HalluciGen task we aim to discover whether LLMs have an internal representation of hallucination. Specifically, we investigate whether LLMs can be used to both generate and detect hallucinated content. In the cross-model evaluation setting we take this a step further and explore the viability of using an LLM to evaluate output produced by another LLM. We include generation, detection, and cross-model evaluation steps for two scenarios: paraphrase and machine translation. Overall we find that performance of the baselines and submitted systems is highly variable, however initial results are promising and lessons learned from this year’s task will provide a solid foundation for future iterations of the task. In particular, we highlight that human validation of generated output is ideally necessary to ensure the robustness of the cross-model evaluation results. We aim to address this challenge in future iterations of HalluciGen. 

Carbohydrates, vital components of biological systems, are well-known for their structural diversity. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy plays a crucial role in understanding their intricate molecular arrangements and is essential in assessing and verifying the molecular structure of organic molecules. An important part of this process is to predict the NMR chemical shift from the molecular structure. This work introduces a novel approach that leverages E(3) equivariant graph neural networks to predict carbohydrate NMR spectral data. Notably, our model achieves a substantial reduction in mean absolute error, up to threefold, compared to traditional models that rely solely on two-dimensional molecular structure. Even with limited data, the model excels, highlighting its robustness and generalization capabilities. The model is dubbed GeqShift (geometric equivariant shift) and uses equivariant graph self-attention layers to learn about NMR chemical shifts, in particular since stereochemical arrangements in carbohydrate molecules are characteristics of their structures. 

Marginal cost curves (MCCs) are popular decision-support tools for assessing and ranking the cost-effectiveness of different options in environmental policy and management. However, conventional MCC approaches have been criticized for lack of transparency and disregard for complexity; not accounting for interaction effects between measures; ignoring ancillary benefits and costs; and not considering intertemporal dynamics. In this paper, we present an approach to address these challenges using a system dynamics (SD)-based model for producing dynamic MCCs. We describe the approach by applying it to evaluate efforts to address water scarcity in a hypothetical, but representative, Swedish city. Our results show that the approach effectively addresses all four documented limitations of conventional MCC methods. They also show that combining MCCs with behavior-over-time graphs and causal-loop diagrams can lead to new policy insights and support a more inclusive decision-making process. 

The growing demand for sustainable products has spurred research into renewable materials, with cellulose-based materials emerging as prominent candidates due to their exceptional properties, abundance, and wide-ranging applications. In this context, there is a need to develop a better fundamental understanding of cellulose interactions such that we can continue to design and improve sustainable materials. Individual interactions can be difficult to assess in bulk fibre-based materials and therefore cellulose model materials have become indispensable tools for researchers as they can facilitate the study of cellulose interactions at a molecular level enabling the design of sustainable materials with enhanced properties. This study presents a new methodology for studying the effects of surface treatments on the individual fibre–fibre joint strength using wet-spun cellulose nanofiber (CNF) filaments as model materials. The Layer-by-Layer assembly technique is used to modify the surface chemistry of the model materials as well as bleached and unbleached hardwood Kraft fibres, demonstrating its potential to enhance adhesive properties and overall mechanical performance of papers made from these fibres. The study further explores the impact of increasing network density through wet-pressing during paper preparation, showcasing a comprehensive approach to molecularly tailor fibre-based materials to achieve superior mechanical properties. The proposed methodology provides a time-efficient evaluation of chemical additives in paper preparation.

Dairy slurry could be a significant source of nitrogen (N) for plants, but mismanagement can lead to atmospheric ammonia losses or nitrate leaching into groundwater. To make the use of dairy slurry efficient and reasonable, the loss of N pollution to the environment should be reduced. We used repacked lysimeters to comprehensively determine ammonia emission and N leaching losses in an alfalfa–soil system. The application of dairy slurry had no significant effect on alfalfa yield at the same rate of N application in comparison to chemical fertilizer, and adding humic acids significantly increased yield by about 12%. However, the application of dairy slurry increased the ammonia emission rate significantly, leading to an increase in the cumulative amount of ammonia emission, while the addition of humic acids reduced the ammonia emissions by 11%. Chemical fertilizer and dairy slurry application significantly increased nitrate leaching compared to the control treatment, while the addition of humic acids can significantly reduce ammonium N leaching. Dairy slurry was proven to be as effective as chemical N fertilizer in achieving the optimum biomass, and adding humic acids can significantly reduce N loss to the atmosphere and groundwater. This study showed the possibility of replacing chemical fertilizer with dairy slurry in alfalfa production and the advantages of humic acids’ addition to alfalfa to maintain production yield and improve environmental friendliness. 

More Digitalized Rural Businesses – The Path Forward…

This project targeted business promoters and Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), including micro-enterprises, within the green sectors (primarily agriculture and food).

The project has:

• Assessed the needs and opportunities for support for the target group micro and small enterprises in the green sectors.

• Evaluated the offerings of business promoters aimed at increasing the digital maturity of this target group.

• Highlighted experiences from digitalization in other industries and adapted a tool to digitalize SMEs in agriculture and food.

The European Union aims to accelerate the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises through a network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) to enhance their competitiveness. However, how can this be best achieved for rural businesses? The project demonstrated how companies in primary production can benefit from the EDIH network.

The long-term goal of the project was to increase the digital maturity of Swedish micro and small enterprises in rural areas, contributing to increased production with robust economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Another goal was to enhance collaboration among business promotion actors to better understand how they can assist micro and small enterprises in rural areas to embrace the opportunities of digitalization

The project compared the support needs of SMEs and micro-enterprises in the green sectors in rural areas with the available support from business promoters. This comparison identified certain gaps that business promoters can address to develop and improve their offerings. The project disseminated knowledge about digitalization experiences from other industries and adapted a tool to further digitalize SMEs in agriculture and food. This tool is well-suited for use by EDIHs and has been shared with various business promoters. The project also compared the contributions of an EDIH focused on the needs of the target group with other initiatives aimed at the same group.

Different approaches have been used for translation of the EAT–Lancet reference diet into dietary scores that can be used to assess health and environmental impact. Our aim was to compare the different EAT–Lancet diet scores, and to estimate their associations with all-cause mortality, stroke incidence, and greenhouse gas emissions. We did a systematic review (PROSPERO, CRD42021286597) to identify different scores representing adherence to the EAT–Lancet reference diet. We then qualitatively compared the diet adherence scores, including their ability to group individuals according the EAT–Lancet reference diet recommendations, and quantitatively assessed the associations of the diet scores with health and environmental outcome data in three diverse cohorts: the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort (DCH; n=52 452), the Swedish Malmö Diet and Cancer Cohort (MDC; n=20 973), and the Mexican Teachers’ Cohort (MTC; n=30 151). The DCH and MTC used food frequency questionnaires and the MDC used a modified diet history method to assess dietary intake, which we used to compute EAT–Lancet diet scores and evaluate the associations of scores with hazard of all-cause mortality and stroke. In the MDC, dietary greenhouse gas emission values were summarised for every participant, which we used to predict greenhouse gas emissions associated with varying diet adherence scores on each scoring system. In our review, seven diet scores were identified (Knuppel et al, 2019; Trijsburg et al, 2020; Cacau et al, 2021; Hanley-Cook et al, 2021; Kesse-Guyot et al, 2021; Stubbendorff et al, 2022; and Colizzi et al, 2023). Two of the seven scores (Stubbendorff and Colizzi) were among the most consistent in grouping participants according to the EAT–Lancet reference diet recommendations across cohorts, and higher scores (greater diet adherence) were associated with decreased risk of mortality (in the DCH and MDC), decreased risk of incident stroke (in the DCH and MDC for the Stubbendorff score; and in the DCH for the Colizzi score), and decreased predicted greenhouse gas emissions in the MDC. We conclude that the seven different scores representing the EAT–Lancet reference diet had differences in construction, interpretation, and relation to disease and climate-related outcomes. Two scores generally performed well in our evaluation. Future studies should carefully consider which diet score to use and preferably use multiple scores to assess the robustness of estimations, given that public health and environmental policy rely on these estimates. 

This article examines how environmental awareness, stakeholder pressure, circular economy orientation and internal barriers influence circular economy practices in international and non-international micro-firms. For this, we utilised fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) using data from 128 micro firms operating in different manufacturing industries in Estonia. Three paths were identified for explaining circular economy practices in internationally operating micro-firms and two paths for explaining it in micro-firms that do not operate internationally. Our results show that understanding the impact of the four before-mentioned aspects can be beneficial for engaging in circular economy efforts in both international and non-international micro-firms. The intricate five pathways (three for international and two for non-international) through which environmental awareness, stakeholder pressure, circular economy orientation, and internal barriers shape circular economy practices in micro-firms, challenging conventional understandings and offering nuanced insights for effective engagement in sustainable business practices. Based on the findings, theoretical and practical implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed. 

Through a soma design process, we explored how to design a shape-changing car seat as a point of interaction between the car and the driver. We developed a low-fdelity prototyping tool to support this design work and describe our experiences of using this tool in a workshop with a car manufacturer. We share the co-designed patterns that we developed: re-engaging in driving; dis-engaging from driving; saying farewell; and being held while turning. Our analysis contributes design knowledge on how we should design for a car seat to ‘touch’ larger, potentially heavier parts of the body including the back, shoulders, hips, and bottom. The non-habitual experience of shape-changing elements in the driver seat helped pinpoint the link between somatic experience and intelligent rational behaviour in driving tasks. Relevant meaning-making processes arose when the two were aligned, improving on the holistic coming together of driver, car, and the road travelled. 

This study investigates the potential of long-wave infrared (LWIR) free-space optical (FSO) transmission using multilevel signals to achieve high spectral efficiency. The FSO transmission system includes a directly modulated-quantum cascade laser (DM-QCL) operating at 9.1 µm and a mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. The laser operated at the temperature settings of 15°C and 20°C. The experiment was conducted over a distance of 1 m and in a lab as a controlled environment. We conduct small-signal characterization of the system, including the DM-QCL chip and MCT detector, evaluating the end-to-end response of both components and all associated electrical elements. For large-signal characterization, we employ a range of modulation formats, including non-return-to-zero on-off keying (NRZ-OOK), 4-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4), and 6-level PAM (PAM6), with the objective of optimizing both the bit rate and spectral efficiency of the FSO transmission by applying pre- and post-processing equalization. At 15°C, the studied LWIR FSO system achieves net bitrates of 15 Gbps with an NRZ-OOK signal and 16.9 Gbps with PAM4, both below the 6.25% overhead hard decision-forward error correction (6.25%-OH HD-FEC) limit, and 10 Gbps NRZ-OOK below the 2.7% overhead Reed-Solomon RS(528,514) pre-FEC (KR-FEC limit). At 20°C, we obtained net bitrates of 14.1 Gbps with NRZ-OOK, 16.9 Gbps with PAM4, and 16.4 Gbps with PAM6. Furthermore, we evaluate the BER performance as a function of the decision feedback equalization (DFE) tap number to explore the role of equalization in enhancing signal fidelity and reducing errors in FSO transmission. Our findings accentuate the competitive potential of DM-QCL and MCT detector-based FSO transceivers with digital equalization for the next generation of FSO communication systems.