This forum features practitioner perspectives on designing technologies for and with communities. We highlight compelling projects and provocative points of view that speak to both community technology practice and the interaction design field as a whole. --- Sheena Erete, Editor
To mitigate coastal erosion in the sectors Barra-Vagueira and Figueira da Foz-Leirosa (NW of Portugal), Portuguese coastal authority has promoted the discussion on the feasibility of implementing a sand bypassing system to restore natural littoral sediment transport. This study synthesizes the main results of the proposed solutions for Aveiro and Figueira da Foz tidal inlets. The methodology to develop the study compromised tree main phases that included the historical characterization of the study area, the preliminary design of different sand bypassing solutions for each coastal inlet and the discussion of their economic feasibility. The physical performance of the sand bypass solutions demonstrated that several bypassing solutions are technically viable to mitigate coastal erosion. However, it was found that the solution is economically viable only at the coastal sector Figueira da Foz-Leirosa.
Objetivo: presentar el panorama de errores de medicación, los recursos asociados a la preparación de medicamentos intravenosos y el uso de premezclados en la atención en salud. Metodología: se realizaron búsquedas en diferentes bases de datos, sin límite de fecha o tipo de estudio. Adicionalmente se realizó un análisis para estimar los costos, validando con expertos los recursos en central de mezclas. Resultados: los errores de medicación son un error médico común a nivel global. Los datos disponibles son heterogéneos, pero sugieren que los errores de medicación pueden ser una causa considerable de morbilidad y mortalidad en ciertas poblaciones y contextos, con intervenciones adicionales, estancias hospitalarias prolongadas, mayores costos de atención y reducción en la probabilidad de que el tratamiento sea oportuno y eficaz. En medicinas intravenosas resultan escenarios de mayor gravedad y mayor nivel de costos. Los costos laborales anuales para una central de mezclas en Colombia se estiman entre 281,5 y 422,3 millones de pesos. La estandarización, como parte de los fármacos premezclados proporciona menor riesgo de contaminación, menor posibilidad de error en la preparación, menor incidencia de complicaciones relacionadas con la terapia, disminución del desperdicio, mejora en la oportunidad de dispensación, optimización en el trabajo de los equipos de farmacia y reducción de costos asociados con este proceso. Conclusiones: el uso de premezclados, como parte de un programa de reducción de errores de medicación, puede mejorar los indicadores de calidad en administración de medicamentos y garantizar un uso más seguro de la terapia intravenosa.
Since the new administration took office, one of its top priorities has been to take any and all efforts that are required to extend an invitation to potential investors to investigate the various economic prospects available in Zimbabwe, using the mantra Zimbabwe is open for business. To this point, the response from both domestic and international businesses can be summed up in one word: overwhelming. The rules are being rewritten to make it easier to start and run a business, and the government has been working diligently and expeditiously to complete and initiate major infrastructure projects in the mining, energy, and transportation sectors. Therefore, the function of freight transport in this endeavour to change the economic fortunes of the country is one that is of the utmost importance. The relationship between investment and economic growth and how it relates to transportation has far-reaching ramifications that go beyond the fundamental function of transportation, which is to move commodities from one location to another.
Abstract Since its burst in early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected every aspect of daily life, from international trade and travelling to restrictions on an individual level, becoming a complex multi-level and highly multi-faceted problem. Due to its overarching influence and deep impact, it can be seen as one of the most disruptive Grand Challenges of our time. Different from most other lasting Grand Challenges, such as Climate Change, the pandemic exerted its influence with little ramp-up, rapidly transforming health and health systems, human lives, goods and economic flows, decision-making mechanisms, research and innovation, and many other aspects of life in a very short span of time. Grand Challenges require extraordinary efforts from society as a whole since they need holistic, effective, collaborative endeavours to solve them. One such unique orchestrated effort can be observed in the subsequent series of virtual massive EUvsVirus ( https://www.euvsvirus.org/ ) events and committed collaborations (‘hackathon’, ‘matchathon’, ‘launchathon’, ‘community’, ‘EIC Covid platform’, and the unparalleled ‘Academia Diffusion Experiment’ [ADE], analysed in chapter “Academia Diffusion Experiment: Trailblazing the Emergence from Co-Creation” of this book). While this chapter explains ‘what’ has been produced with the ADE, inspired by the EUvsVirus phenomenon, the ADE chapter describes ‘how’ it has been done. Both are extremely unique in terms of content, procedure, motivation, collaboration, effects—and they attempt to trailblaze at highest level co-creation, co-evolution, and co-dreaming. Hence, situated as the last chapters of this book. This chapter will shed light on the EUvsVirus events, where over 30,000 individuals from 40 countries came together and addressed the complexity of this massive challenge in a pioneering and groundbreaking way. The chapter is focused on analysing the EUvsVirus hackathon (alongside its mentioned unique spillovers) as a tool, method, and process capable of channelling and activating individuals’ and institutions’ concerns, wills, and commitments into a unique orchestrated open, collaborative response to an urgent Grand Challenge, the pandemic. We are producing a multi-vortex tornado model, resembling the EUvsVirus phenomenon, its components, mechanisms, behaviour and how to replicate it to achieve such disruptive, global organisational effort of co-creation. Especially, the emergence of such collaboration in the face of such urgency leads to the assumption that there are crucial lessons to be learned from this endeavour, quite fittingly encapsulated by these words: ‘We are learning That though we weren't ready for this, We have been readied by it’. Amanda Gorman’s New Year poem ( https://amandagormanbooks.com/#the-hill-we-climb-and-other-poems or https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2022/01/06/exp-amanda-gorman-nye-poem.cnn )
