Urban development frequently requires land assembly, cross-parcel coordination, and allocation of costs and benefits created by zoning plans. In Norway, property-formation tasks typically rely on cadastral procedures that depend on voluntary agreement and may involve multiple fragmented, sequential, and time-consuming approvals. This article examines whether organizational instruments under the Land Consolidation Act – rules on joint use, orders for joint measures, and governance arrangements – can function as a less invasive and more efficient complement to physical reallotment in urban land readjustment. Using a structured review of Norwegian zoning plans and Land Consolidation Court decisions, supplemented with targeted literature, we identify (i) coordination problems these instruments can address, (ii) their legal effects and constraints, and (iii) practical conditions for implementation, including loss-prevention rules and transition to later physical property formation. We conclude that organizational instruments are best suited for early-phase cooperation and shared functions (e.g., access, infrastructure, common areas), reducing transaction costs and holdout risks when physical reallotment is premature. We discuss implications for ‘fit-for-purpose’ land readjustment and outline how comparable rule-based joint-use solutions may be adapted to resource-constrained contexts, provided that legal clarity and registration mechanisms are addressed. In Norwegian land consolidation law traditional physical readjustment includes measures such as land exchange and the reduction of fragmentation of holdings. Organizational instruments, by contrast, operate closer to the actual coordination problems faced in urban development. As such, they represent a more fit-for-purpose response to the challenges of fragmented ownership and cross-boundary planning in transformation areas.
Developmental immunotoxicology (DIT) is emerging as a critical area in regulatory toxicology, driven by the recognition that the developing immune system is particularly vulnerable to xenobiotic exposure. Disruptions occurring during fetal or early postnatal life may result in long-lasting alterations in immune competence, tolerance, and disease susceptibility. This review provides a comprehensive overview of immune system development, highlighting key developmental stages from embryogenesis to postnatal maturation and identifying windows of heightened immune system sensitivity to toxicants. By integrating mechanistic insights and methodological advances, this review aims to support the improvement and extension of DIT testing frameworks and the development of predictive tools for regulatory and research applications. Recent advances in New Approach Methodologies offer promising alternatives for modeling human immune ontogeny, while highlighting the challenge of ensuring adequate coverage of critical developmental mechanisms and windows of susceptibility relevant to immunotoxicity. The integration of physiological maps and multi-omics technologies enhances mechanistic understanding, while epidemiological associations between exposures and functional endpoints underscore the real-world relevance of DIT and can identify biomarkers to guide the further development of relevant and sensitive models. Despite these advances, challenges remain, including the scarcity of human reference data, the lack of standardized protocols, and the need for validated test batteries covering diverse mechanisms once the tests have been refined. Addressing these gaps is essential to support the regulatory uptake of DIT data and to advance predictive, mechanistically anchored, and ethically sound strategies for DIT testing.
Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) represent a threat to the wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations, and open sea-cage salmon farming contributes to increased abundance and infestation. While models have been developed to predict salmon lice dispersal from host fish, methods able to validate the origin of salmon lice larvae —important for increased understanding of the spread, are lacking. As louse larvae on a fish, or in water samples, may originate from different maternal sources, it is essential to analyze individual larvae. This explorative study assessed several chemical-analytical methods for their potential to trace the origin of individual salmon louse copepodites, specifically to trace whether the maternal louse had been attached to a wild or farmed salmon. Lipid- and combined isotopic (δ15N and δ13C) profiles of salmon lice larvae were characteristic of the host fish’s origin, but reliable analysis of individual larvae was challenging due to the very limited sample amount. Several trace elements such as As and Rb, as well as major elements such as P, K, and Mg, were detectable in individual larvae. Elemental ratios of As/K, Rb/As, and As/P differed whether the maternal louse was attached to a wild or farmed salmon, consistent with patterns observed in adult lice and host fish. Due to their high sensitivity and the potential diet-related differences, elemental profiles represent a promising method for determining the wild or farmed origin of individual lice larvae. However, broader sampling and validation are required to verify whether these fingerprints are sufficiently characteristic and robust.
Water hyacinth is among the world’s most damaging aquatic invasive plants, forming dense mats that disrupt ecosystem functioning, fisheries, navigation, and livelihoods across tropical and subtropical freshwater systems. Its rapid spread is driven by clonal propagation, short life cycles, and prolific seed production, particularly under nutrient-enriched conditions. Although mechanical, chemical, and biological control methods are widely applied, their long-term effectiveness remains uncertain when underlying eutrophication persists. Here, we present a large-scale, one-time water hyacinth removal campaign in Lake Tana, Ethiopia’s largest lake and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, as a representative nutrient-rich tropical freshwater system. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, we quantified coverage one month before removal, one month after removal, and one year later. We integrated SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis with a socio-ecological system map to assess mitigation mechanisms and identify sustainable management pathways capable of providing long-term solutions to halt water hyacinth proliferation in freshwater bodies. The campaign removed over 75
Plastic additives are used to strengthen the mechanical properties of polymers, improve processing efficiency, and enhance product durability, thereby enabling their use for diverse applications across many chemical industries. These additives are typically produced in powder form; however, the handling and storage of fine powders in industrial environments present significant challenges, making it necessary to convert them into pellets. The process of pellet formation involves compression of the powder under controlled pressure and temperature. Several models have been developed to explain pelletization in various fields, including biomass, metals, pharmaceuticals, and ceramic production. A common theme of these studies is the use of a continuum approximation for the powder using the Drucker-Prager Cap (DPC) model. These studies relied on an instrumented die to measure the material model parameters. Furthermore, the identification of DPC model cap surface and hardening parameters typically relied on preparing multiple pellets at different target densities, making the parameter calibration process time-consuming and experimentally intensive. In contrast, the present work extracts material parameters from load-displacement data, avoiding extensive pellet preparation without relying on a specialized instrumented die. Additionally, we have presented a modified approach to calculate cap hardening parameters based on global optimization of stress-strain values. Finally, the framework was applied to plastic additive powders and validated against experimental results. An additional sensitivity analysis of the model, based on a full factorial design of experiments (DoE), was performed to evaluate the influence of key parameters on the predicted compaction response. Overall, our findings may help reduce pre-production iterations and improve pellet quality, given the constraints at the factory.
