Deployment Of New Technologies Research Articles

Adapting a prescreening program from VHIO to match molecular alterations in over 10,000 patients' tumors with targeted agents and immunotherapies in early clinical trials.

e23071 Background: VHIO's Molecular Prescreening Program (MPP) began in 2010 to catalyze precision medicine at the institution. Over the last decade, this program has provided access to advanced molecular diagnostics to more than 10,000 cancer patients (pts) and is critical in matching targeted therapeutic approaches to clinical trials (CTs). Here we report the clinical utility of our program given the evolving molecular testing landscape and trends in drug development. Methods: We assess the adoption and impact of the VHIO’s MPP in CTs recruitment. All tests were developed in-house: a. from 2010 to 2014 we used formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumor samples to test for hotspot mutations (Sequenom, 20 oncogenes) plus FISH/IHC of selected markers; b. from 2015 to 2017 we moved to a amplicon-based NGS panel (MiSeq, 61 genes), a copy number alteration (CNA) panel (Nanostring, 44 genes) and a fusion + gene expression assay (Nanostring, 26 genes) with additional FISH/IHC in selected cases, including PDL1 and MSI status; c. since 2019, we use a custom capture-based NGS assay for mutations (mut), CNA and Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) estimation (NextSeq, 435 genes); d. since 2022, we run a liquid biopsy panel in-house (Guardant360, technology transfer). Results: We found a stepwise increase in the MPP adoption, from 207 pts in 2010 to 1,965 pts in 2023, representing almost a tenfold increase. Most common tumours analysed were colorectal, lung, breast, gynaecologic, pancreato-biliary, and gastric. The number of CTs requiring biomarker match has increased from 13 in 2010 to more than 201 in 2023, the most frequent in the last year being HER2 (33), PDL1 (20), EGFR (17), RAS (15) and FGFR (9), MSI (9) and ALK (7). In 2023, 1,230 patients had broad tissue NGS panel, 1,235 were tested with IHC, 373 with fusions + expression assay and 991 with liquid biopsy. Inclusion rate in CTs with biomarker match has fluctuated between 13% and 19% in the past 5 years. Overall, close to 50% of these trial recruitments are with genomically-informed enrichment strategies and not mandatory inclusion criteria. On average, 20% of the patients were still enrolled in unmatched trials after molecular testing. Conclusions: The success of VHIO's MPP is related to agile innovation and clinical deployment of new technologies in a timely manner, critical for the development of new drugs in CTs. Biomarker matched trials evolved from a “few targets/ large populations” scenario to a complex situation with “many targets/ small populations”. Many pts benefit from enrichment strategies in Phase 1 CTs. The impact of the recent implementation of liquid biopsy and ongoing development of genomic + transcriptomic signatures will be closely monitored.

The impact of product portfolio specialty and activeness on firm survival: evidence from the nascent drone industry

We examine the impact of product portfolio strategy on the likelihood of firm survival within the nascent unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or the drone industry. Using novel and representative global data on firms that operate within the domain of air platforms in the drone industry, our study captures a period of ferment in the industry as it went through significant change and began to acquire some level of stability. The results show that both portfolio specialty and activeness have a positive impact on firm survival. Specialist firms with narrow product usage or higher portfolio specialty are in an advantageous position compared to generalists with wide product usage or low portfolio specialty. They also have a higher likelihood of survival, overall. Similarly, a firm with a more active set of drones within its product portfolio also survives better. The results are consistent even after accounting for firm‐level controls and are robust to other model specifications. Our findings have important implications for firm strategy, positioning, and interaction with technology in nascent industries, especially relating to the development and deployment of new technologies and products.

Digitalization and the Future of Employment: A Case Study on the Canadian Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling Occupations

This paper presents a novel approach to identifying reskilling requirements, job merging pathways, and a tentative timeline for transforming offshore oil and gas drilling occupations amid the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0). The proposed algorithm focuses on potential job merging due to technological adoption. It introduces a scaling factor named digital readiness level to incorporate modulation factors (e.g., cost of development and deployment of new technologies, labour market dynamics, economic benefits, regulatory readiness, and social acceptance) that act as catalysts or hindrances for technology adoption. A feature-based approach is developed to assess the similarities between occupations, while a mathematical model is developed to project automation trajectories for each job under investigation. These facilitate the consideration of potential job merging scenarios and the associated timeline. Since technology adoption depends on the industry, region, occupation, and stakeholder’s ability to manage the transformation, the proposed algorithm is presented as a case study on Canadian offshore oil and gas drilling occupations. However, this algorithm and approach can be applied to other industries or occupation structures. The proposed algorithm projects that the total number of personnel on board (POB) in a typical offshore drilling platform will be reduced to six by 2058. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the robustness of the proposed algorithm against variations in the feature values and weighting factors. It was found that when changing feature values and weighting factors up to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\pm 20\%$</tex-math> </inline-formula> of their original values, only one job that remains after 2058 follows three different job merging pathways, while others remain unchanged. Even the job that followed three different pathways was composed of the same source jobs compared to the corresponding job in the baseline results. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —This research is inspired by the ongoing digital transformation initiatives and their socioeconomic impact. The adoption of digital technologies, such as automation, robotization, digital twins, data-driven decision-making systems, smart devices, and cloud computing technologies, gradually transform existing workplaces into digitally-enabled smart workplaces. Therefore, stakeholders must invest in training programs to reskill existing workforces and to orient prospective employees to work at these smart workplaces. If technology adoption occurs at a rapid or slower pace than workforce reformation, industries cannot gain the optimum benefit from their digital transformation initiatives. Also, human capital investments may not generate much benefit if technology adoption and workforce reformation occur at different rates. Therefore, this work presents a novel framework to predict future employment scenarios, particularly for the workers in offshore oil and gas drilling activities, along with a tentative timeline. Stakeholders can utilize the proposed framework to effectively plan the pace of technological adoption, future workforce transformation and human capital investments.

These are tenants not guinea pigs: Barriers and facilitators of retrofit in Wales, United Kingdom

Retrofitting existing homes with new energy efficient technologies is essential to reduce emissions and move towards achieving a ‘net zero’ carbon emission target. This paper reports on research that investigated the process of retrofitting new technologies in existing social rented homes in Wales, United Kingdom. It used mixed-methods consisting of pre- and post-retrofit surveys, qualitative interviews with tenants, and a documentary analysis of retrofit tenant engagement materials. Interviews and focus groups were also undertaken with a variety of professionals involved in the delivery of the new technology, including tenant liaison officers, architects, surveyors, and a civil servant.Findings reveal that many of the barriers to deploying new technologies in social rented properties were around communication and information issues. The interface between the technology and residents was a challenge as mechanisms of the new technologies operation and sensors and monitoring were not understood well and residents were kept out of the loop often through digital exclusion. Disruption to norms, the home and everyday practices were also key barriers. Facilitators to successful deployment of new technologies included good tenant engagement, demonstrating and showcasing the technology prior to deployment and actively reducing disruption to norms and practices.Social Practices Theory and Energies Culture Framework describe the findings well, especially around changes in material culture (the actual technology and hardware) and disruption to norms and social practices, which explains how the use of the technology by the residents notably changes and can disrupt their lives. These disruptions create anxiety creating further barriers which can lead to resistance to engaging with the technology. Better communication and more resident involvement and engagement are needed, allowing people ownership and some perceived control over the decision-making, deployment and changes happening to their everyday lives.Findings suggest that communications and trust in the retrofit process are crucial to the success of delivering low-carbon technologies to tenants in social housing. The technology must also be usable and understood by the tenants; exemplar demonstrator properties to help tenants see and understand the technologies are helpful to successful deployment. In conclusion, more involvement of tenants is needed when delivering low-carbon technologies to their homes to resolve further exacerbating the already noticeable inequalities.

Technological Innovations and Regional Security Control towards Sustainable Development in the G5 Sahel Region

The Sahel region has suffered multiple security threats that have posed multiple challenges to the security of the entire region and other parts of the world. Following a buildup of security threats in the region since 2012, the US and EU have partnered to provide troops to bolster security and forestall the spread of radicalization into terrorism. This paper focuses on the role of technological innovations on security control and crime management, provides background to the study, with focus on the rise of technology on security control and crime management. The paper also discusses the history of the crisis in the Sahel, focusing on the G5 Sahel, and provides key recommendations on the use of technology as a panacea for security control and crime management in the G5 Sahel. The study was based on securitization theory and was carried out using case-study research design based on three objectives: to assess the current technological innovation infrastructure in use in the G5 Sahel region, evaluate the impact of technological innovations in crime management and security control in the G5 Sahel region and to assess the potential of emerging technological innovations in addressing crime and security management in the G5 Sahel and the broader Sub-Saharan Africa. Technological innovations are critical components of addressing cross border challenges. However, technology can also lead to insecurity challenges, where insurgents use them to perpetrate crimes, including using UAVs to strike at civilian targets. The researchers find that the use of technology has become consequential in the fight against crime and insecurity. They also find that technology has helped address emergent needs in crime and security management in the G5 Sahel. They recommend that there is need to re-imagine the G5 Sahel to increase coordination among member states. They also call for further studies on the impacts of “false flags” on social media, which could be used to negatively profile otherwise harmless civilians. They also call for greater and meaningful public participation to ensure the deployment of new technologies is supported by the public.&#x0D;

CAR T therapy beyond cancer: the evolution of a living drug.

Engineering a patient's own T cells to selectively target and eliminate tumour cells has cured patients with untreatable haematologic cancers. These results have energized the field to apply chimaeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy throughout oncology. However, evidence from clinical and preclinical studies underscores the potential of CAR T therapy beyond oncology in treating autoimmunity, chronic infections, cardiac fibrosis, senescence-associated disease and other conditions. Concurrently, the deployment of new technologies and platforms provides further opportunity for the application of CAR T therapy to noncancerous pathologies. Here we review the rationale behind CAR T therapy, current challengesfaced in oncology, a synopsis of preliminary reports in noncancerous diseases, and a discussion of relevant emerging technologies. We examine potential applications for this therapy in a wide range of contexts. Last, we highlight concerns regarding specificity and safety and outline the path forward for CAR T therapy beyond cancer.

Technology Focus: Hydraulic Fracturing Operations (June 2023)

With the global normalization of economies over the past 2 years after the pandemic, the demand for energy has only been increasing, and all forecasts show this demand will continue to grow. In light of the current geopolitical situation globally, balancing the energy trilemma (ensuring energy security, energy equity, and environmental sustainability) is a key global challenge. With the ever-increasing energy demand, oil and gas remains a major component within the energy mix to address this challenge and to aid in satisfying the growing demand. Hydraulic fracturing continues to be the main technology differentiator that enables enhancing recovery from both green- and brownfield reservoirs globally. During the past few years, the industry has made great strides in reducing carbon emissions through the deployment of new technologies in fracturing equipment manufacturing, including electric, hybrid, and turbine-driven fracturing equipment spreads. We have also seen the application of automation and emissions monitoring being widely adopted throughout the industry in an effort to lower the operational carbon footprint. Fracture monitoring to optimize fluid volumes and designs remains a critical area of development. Research is ongoing with the focus on combining different monitoring technologies including tracers, fiber optics, downhole cameras, and microseismic monitoring. There also have been innovations in using surface data to develop cost-effective solutions to monitor fracture-geometry propagation. Nanotracers and low-cost disposable fiber-optic cables have been areas that have seen increasing deployments within the monitoring realm. Cluster efficiency and stage spacing is being optimized in basins globally by studying perforation erosion, fracture propagation, and performance between various perforation strategies using different gun configurations in both single clusters and multiple clusters including extreme-limited-entry applications. We have seen improvements in the pressure ratings of dissolvable and flow-through plugs with the aim of aiding in improving turnaround efficiency in plug-and-perf wells. Multistage hardware has seen enhancements with new completion technologies such as cemented ball-drop multistage fracturing systems and multistage openhole systems with sand-screens that require minimum intervention being developed and deployed. Globally, we have observed increasing application of lessons learned to revamp older technologies and fracturing concepts such as the use of crosslinked gels, energized fluid systems, and tip screenout designs. In addition to conventional reservoirs, we also are seeing a growing application of stimulation and fracturing technologies being considered and deployed for geothermal applications. The recent technological developments and deployments cement the fact that hydraulic fracturing will remain an important pillar to solving the world’s energy requirements in the years to come. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 212342 Overflush and Fracturing: Playing Poker With Your Completion by Martin Rylance, THREE60 Energy SPE 212749 Natural-Gas-Powered Direct-Drive Turbine Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Delivers High-Power Density and Energy Transfer Efficiency for Environmental, Economic, and Operational Benefits by Guillermo Rodriguez, BJ Energy Solutions, et al. SPE 212322 Combined Video and Ultrasonic Measurements for Fracture Diagnostics—Greater Than the Sum of the Parts by Tobben Tymons, EV, et al. SPE 209159 Lessons Learned From the Large-Scale CO2 Stimulation of 11 Unconventional Wells in the Williston Basin: A Practical Review of Operations, Logistics, Production Uplift, and CO2 Storage by Lionel Ribeiro, Equinor, et al.

Exploring how companies disclose the digital transformation in the 'content elements' of the integrated report

At present, the link between the deployment of new technologies and the integrated reporting (IR) processes is a topic of growing interest. The relationship between digital transformation (DT) and IR represents an underexplored field. After analysing from a theoretical point of view the emerging profiles both of IR and DT, this research investigates a sample of European companies included in the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) database. The aim is to analyse the positioning of the information about DT within the 'content elements' and to assess its different dimensions. The main findings show that the companies under analysis reported more information about DT in 'organisational overview and external environment' and in 'strategy and resource allocation'. Furthermore, technology-intensive sectors reported more about DT. Given the preliminary nature of the study and its findings, it paves the way for further research on the topic.

Policy Planning for Scaling Up of System of Crop Intensification by Adaptation of Climate Resilient Practices Towards Food Security and Improving Agricultural Production

Climate change is one of the most extreme challenges Indian agriculture is facing today and will have to deal with in future. There have been overwhelming and growing scientific evidences to establish that the world is getting warmer due to climate change and such increasing weather variability and worsening extremes will impact the agriculture sector more and more adversely. The sheer scale of involvement of the poor in agriculture calls for an effort to meet the challenge of climate change head-on through resilience building measures that work through a system of adaptive and mitigation strategies. Considering that new approaches are needed, development and deployment of new technologies, advocacy and capacity building have an extremely important role to play not only to build farmer’s capability but to help in changing the mind-set as well. Both short term and long terms outputs are expected from the project in terms of new and improved varieties of crops, management practices that help in adaptation and mitigation and inputs for policy making to mainstream climate resilient agriculture in the developmental planning. The overall expected outcome is enhanced resilience of agricultural production to climate variability in vulnerable regions.

In the Riptide of Control and Trust: Emergence of Control Practices, Suspicion, and Distrust in New Technology Deployment

AbstractIn this study, we focus on the unintended consequences of new technology deployment for control‐trust dynamics. When addressing these dynamics, managers and management researchers often focus on consciously designed and implemented controls and management actions that build, repair, or preserve trust. At the same time, unowned processes – processes that have no single source or purpose – easily go unnoticed. These processes may have effects that are inadvertent and sometimes detrimental. A close‐up ethnographic study of a technology deployment provides insight into the emergence of unintended control practices and shifts in trust. Our findings demonstrate how deployment of new technology prompted a shift in the loci and forms of control and how trust, suspicion, and distrust surfaced asymmetrically as organizational members interpreted in different ways how others were using the new technological features. These developments contributed to the emergence of four unintended control practices: incidental monitoring, organizational surveillance, individual concealment, and collective resistance. Our study highlights the role of unowned processes in the control‐trust dynamics and emphasizes that whether or not control and trust are consciously addressed, both play interactive and evolving roles in organizations.

Method of QoS evaluation of FPGA as a service

The subject of study in this article is the evaluation of the performance issues of cloud services implemented using FPGA technology. The goal is to improve the performance of cloud services built on top of multiple FPGA platforms known as FPGA-as-a-Service (FaaS). Task: to analyze the delays in communications between host computer and FPGA; propose the steps of development to reduce the delay and perform the evaluation of the response time for the FPGA-based accelerator depending on number of involved cards; consider the reliability aspect of such systems implemented using programmable logic. According to the tasks, the following results were obtained. The FPGA-as-a-Service where FPGA resources are provided through a set of hardware/software toolset is considered. The usage of queueing theory for cloud-based services is analyzed. The contribution of the parts of FPGA-as-a-Service to the final delay of the service is discussed. The process of modeling of work the services based on FPGA accelerator cards with use of Jackson's network is analyzed in detail. The model of the delays of FaaS that considers the parameters of accelerator FPGA cards is offered. The formula of the total response time of the service combined based on the response of the components of is obtained. The proposed steps of reduce data processing delays include increase the size of data blocks for processing in FPGA by each kernel, change the communication model with kernel from sequential to pipelined, following timing closure technique and use more FPGA accelerator cards in parallel to divide the enquiring delay. Based on the proposed model the evaluation of response time of FaaS was done. The advantage of the use of many FPGAs in parallel for same data processing task instead of implementation of requests thread for each accelerator card is shown. Conclusions. The main contribution of this study is a step forward to the modeling of FPGA-based services that can be used for FPGA-based artificial intelligence (AI) applications. It helps to improve the performance of the system by means of reducing the delays at different stages of requests processing. Another side of this result is the reliability aspect that is based on modified manner of service operation in case of use the proposed steps of system optimization. It helps to improve the processing of requests to FaaS. The proposed method is the next step after prototyping of such systems because it helps to turn the FaaS from the object for development to the tool for deployment of new technologies like AI applications.

Markov Chain and Inventory Management of Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria

The inability to adapt and accept the deployment of new technologies in solving inventory-related problems have been some of the challenges manufacturing companies face in Nigeria. Some studies have suggested that the use of the Markov chain is capable of improving inventory management, however, the capabilities and effectiveness of the Markov chain in enhancing inventory management in manufacturing companies remain quite unclear. This study reviewed the Markov chain and inventory management of manufacturing companies as used in prior studies. The study adopted an exploratory research design in reviewing prior studies using relevant materials from journals, periodicals and relevant documented materials. The study through the review observed that the Markov chain has the ability to improve inventory management in manufacturing companies. The study also recommended that managers in manufacturing companies should improve their inventory management and manufacturing operations by adopting quantitative and scientifically aided decision-making modelling for their inventory management systems, such as linear programming, stochastic programming, mixed integer programming, genetic algorithms and the Markov chain decision-making processes.

ECOPT2: An adaptable life cycle assessment model for the environmentally constrained optimization of prospective technology transitions

AbstractLife cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of technologies from cradle to grave. However, LCAs are commonly defined in terms of the consumption of a single unit of a product and thus ignore scaling issues in large‐scale deployment of technologies. Such product‐level LCAs often do not consider capital manufacturing capacity and supply chain bottlenecks that may hinder the rapid, widespread uptake of emerging technologies entering the market; emerging technologies often require the expansion of existing supply chains or the development of entirely new supply chains, such as the manufacturing of novel materials. As a result, such LCA studies are limited in their ability to realistically assess impacts at the macro‐scale and thus to guide large‐scale decisions. In this work, we present ECOPT2, a generalized adaptable model that combines these constraints to the LCA approach using a mathematical programming approach and dynamic stock modeling. ECOPT2 combines LCA factors with transition scenarios from energy systems models to determine the environmentally optimal deployment of new technologies while accounting for material circularity constraints and barriers to uptake. We also introduce the structure of the software tool and demonstrate its features using a stylized vehicle electrification scenario.

Software Engineering Education: Discovering Future Skills

In the contemporary digital age the majority of industries become very much software dependent, require automation, digitization, and deployment of new technologies. The need for specialists, skilled in software engineering, is in high demand. In this study, we set out to investigate what challenges may arise in IT students skill sets and new competences in the software engineering context and answer the question how is skills demand evolving and where the gaps will be?". The paper analyzes what specific knowledge needs to be developed during university education and identifies their evolving skills demand. The paper recommends how students and young specialists in software engineering need to change themselves to adapt to the changing world.

Digital Twin Development of a Dynamic Hardware Emulator

The increasing deployment of new technologies to contribute to the decarbonization of power systems is imposing new challenges in terms of system dynamics and stability. To deal with different operating and control issues in this sense, and support actual needs, advanced tools and solutions are required. Therefore, this paper presents a digital twin of a dynamic hardware emulator that can be used for controller hardware in the loop (CHIL) testing and is based on a small-scale laboratory system. To build the simulation model, the parameters of involved synchronous machines, excitation systems, prime movers and transmission lines have been identified and then compared to laboratory measurements to assess the accuracy of the digital twin. Static and dynamic accuracy have been investigated and an overall good accuracy can be shown with the help of quantification of errors. Furthermore, a case study is presented where the digital twin was used to design a controller to damp inter-area oscillations with the help of wide area measurements. This controller was then implemented and tested within the dynamic hardware emulator in the laboratory.

Technology development for the early detection of plant pests: a framework for assessing Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) in environmental science

Innovation in environmental fields such as plant health is complex because of unbounded challenges and lack of certainty of commercial uptake. In this paper we present a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework, specifically to assist with assessment of technologies to support detection of tree pests and pathogens, but also for wider potential adaptation. Biosecurity can be enhanced by improved early detection of pests and pathogens, but development and deployment of new technologies requires robust scrutiny. We critically analyse the concept, practice and applicability of TRLs. Interviews revealed scientist perspectives during the development process of five novel early plant pest and pathogen detection technologies. A retrospective, collective narrative of one technology from concept to commercial deployment was undertaken. We then developed a calculator tool for assessment of biosecurity TRLs. Our findings illustrate the iterative process of technology development, the challenges in final TRLs of acquiring funding to move from proven success to viable product, inefficiencies created through the need for multiple projects for each technology and the imperative to consider the wider socio-ecological technical landscape, including policy context. End user engagement was particularly valuable at beginning and end of the TRL scale. We conclude that the TRL framework comprises a robust approach to assess technologies in that it facilitates progress tracking, evaluation of success likelihood and identification of opportunities for investment. However, its potential will only be realised for environmental management if it is integrated into the socio-ecological technical landscape and wider discussions regarding knowledge co-production and valuing nature.

Recovery Measures for the Tourism Industry in Andalusia: Residents as Tourist Consumers

The pandemic caused by the coronavirus continues to test barriers around the world. In this sense, the tourism industry has become the sector most affected by the crisis with more than 900 million euros in losses. Recovery will require a great effort, especially in countries where the sector accounts for a large share of the economy and employment. This study analyzes the perceptions and proposals of the residents of the autonomous community of Andalusia. A total of 658 surveys were conducted during the closure. A quantitative and qualitative thematic analysis was carried out using SPSS and NVivo Pro programs. The findings provide significant insights into the economic recovery of society after the pandemic. The Andalusians have opted for local tourism so that the residents become the consumers of the tourist products of their territory. The deployment of new technologies and marketing campaigns should provide the basic strategies for structural changes and innovations. The residents demand a united Europe and disagree with the statements of some political leaders. The conclusions have practical and theoretical implications for tourist destinations.

Anticipatory Regulation: Lessons from fracking and insights for Greenhouse Gas Removal innovation and governance

The UK has incorporated a net-zero emissions target into national legislation. A range of Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR) options will likely play a key role in the government's strategy toward meeting this goal. Governance frameworks will need to be developed to support GGR development and manage the potential impacts, particularly those on the diverse local communities where the various options will be deployed.This research examines the UK's experience with development and regulation of shale gas - using the technologies of hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling - with a focus on governance and the implications for the development and widespread deployment of GGR. We evaluate the approach used against the principles of good governance, which emphasizes the critical role that local communities and publics play in deployment.The UK's top-down governance of shale gas highlights the risk of regulation driven by assumptions about national and local need, value and a lack of transparency or meaningful stakeholder participation in decision-making. The use of existing legislative frameworks for conventional fossil fuel extraction proved inadequate to address unanticipated consequences such as induced seismicity. Moreover, the support for unconventional hydrocarbons in UK energy policy appeared inconsistent with the goal of meeting greenhouse gas targets and passing significant legislation in 2019 to bring carbon emissions to net-zero.To gain social acceptance at the local level, deployment of new technologies needs to be evaluated from a variety of framings and viewpoints. Where new technologies or practices are deployed, such as fracking and GGR, the knowledge and understanding of the impacts - a fundamental principle of good governance - may be less certain or more contested. Early inclusion and participation of local communities would allow issues of concern to inform how trials are undertaken and regulation designed. This anticipatory and participatory approach fits with the principles of good governance and procedural justice, which can help build the trust needed to ensure social legitimacy leading to development and implementation of technological innovations.

Life-Cycle and Techno-Economic Assessment of Early-Stage Carbon Capture and Utilization Technologies—A Discussion of Current Challenges and Best Practices

The mitigation of climate change requires research, development, and deployment of new technologies that are not only economically viable but also environmentally benign. Systematic and continuous technology assessment from early technology maturity onwards allows assessment practitioners to identify economic and environmental characteristics. With this information, decision-makers can focus time and resources on the most promising technologies. A broad toolset for technology assessment exists—stretching from the well-established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to more loosely defined techno-economic analysis (TEA) methods and the increasingly popular principles of technology maturity assessment such as the concept of technology readiness levels (TRL). However, current technology assessment practice faces various challenges at early stages, resulting in a potential mismatch of study results and stakeholders' needs and an escalation of assessment effort. In this practice review, we outline current challenges in the interplay of LCA, TEA, and TRL and present best practices for assessing early-stage climate change mitigation technologies in the field of carbon capture and utilization (CCU). The findings help practitioners systematically identify the TRL of a technology and adapt technology assessment methodologies accordingly. We highlight the methodological challenges for practitioners when adapting the goal and scope, identifying benchmark technologies, creating a comprehensive inventory, comparing early stage to commercial stage, ensuring clarity of recommendations for decision-making under high uncertainty, and streamlining conventional LCA and TEA assessment approaches and provide actionable recommendations. Overall, this work contributes to identifying promising technologies faster and more systematically, accelerating the development of new technologies for climate change mitigation and beyond.

The Nordic societies and the development of the data centre industry: Digital transformation meets infrastructural and industrial inheritance

While attempts to conceptualise the future course of societal development often emphasise the high-level integration and blurring of boundaries between physical and digital space, digital transformation has already made current societies highly dependent on the flawless functioning of the digital infrastructures built globally around data centres. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the recent emergence and maturation of the Nordic data centre industry. While paying special attention to questions concerning technological and societal change, as well as industrial and infrastructural inheritance, the research explores the development of the field that has a short history but strong ties with processes that can be traced back tens or even hundreds of years. Examining the continuity between old and new, the focus is not only on the material infrastructure but also on policies and practices that have paved the way for the evolution of stable Nordic societies with relevant human capital and business-friendly environments that support the incubation of new industries and the deployment of new technologies.