Phosphate treatment has attracted particular interest in rehabilitation and service-life extension of aging concrete structures. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of important phosphate precursors, e.g., diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAP) and dipotassium hydrogen phosphate (DPP), on cementitious systems remain poorly understood. This study conducts a fundamental investigation into these effects on hardened Portland cement pastes across a range of water-to-cement (w/c) ratios (0.3-0.7) treated in 0.1 M and 1.5 M solutions. The resulting changes in compressive strength, water absorption were determined, and the underlying microstructural evolution was systematically evaluated using TGA, FTIR, XRD, SEM, and XCT. Compared to DPP treatment, this study found that DAP treatment consistently resulted in greater compressive strength gains and water absorption reduction, particularly in denser pastes (lower w/c). Microstructural analysis suggests that DAP treatment favors the formation of more stable, nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HAP), which appears to mitigate excessive calcium leaching from the cement matrix. Conversely, DPP treatment seems to yield more amorphous calcium phosphate phases and may induce more significant decalcification of calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H). The initial w/c ratio of the hardened pastes influenced the treatment outcome considerably, with low w/c pastes showing the highest absolute strength gains and high w/c pastes exhibiting the largest relative reduction in water absorption. These findings elucidated unexplored distinct chemical pathways of different phosphate precursors and highlighted the complex mechanisms, providing a critical basis for future development of these treatments.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) formation could be a convincing surface treatment for marble/limestone and cement- based materials, leading to augmented properties, while the effects on the bulk material properties have not been verified. In this study, in-situ HAP formation was promoted by completely immersing cement mortar specimens in aqueous diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAP) solutions with different molar concentrations (0.10 M to 2 M) and treatment reaction time (1-28 days). The assessment properties included compressive strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity, voids, and water penetration. The outcomes demonstrated that compared with the untreated (UT) specimens, compressive strength augmented significantly (6-45 % higher than UT) for all specimens treated with DAP solution in all molar concentrations and reaction times, which aligned with registered higher ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) values (2-13 % higher than UT). In contrast, dramatic reduction in voids (1-16 % lower than UT), water absorption (7-25 % lower than UT), and water penetration were reported for treated specimens than UT ones. Comprehensive analyses including TGA, FTIR, XRD tests and thermodynamic modeling revealed that formation of HAP was the main mechanism, despite the limited amount detected in the studied specimens. DAP penetration depth and slow reaction kinetics of HAP formation were considered the major bottlenecks for more robust bulk property improvement.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) formation could be a convincing surface treatment for marble/limestone and cement-based materials leading to augmented properties, while the effects on the bulk material properties have not been verified. In this study, in-situ HAP formation was promoted by completely immersing cement mortar specimens in aqueous diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAP) solutions with different molar concentrations (0.10 M to 2 M) and treatment reaction time (1 day to 28 days). Compared with the untreated specimens, enhancement of compressive strength (6-45% higher), reduction of voids (1-16% lower), reduced water absorption (7-25% lower) and water penetration depth were found for the DAP-treated specimens. Comprehensive analyses including TGA, FTIR, XRD tests and thermodynamic modeling revealed that formation of HAP was the main mechanism, despite the limited amount detected in the studied specimens. DAP penetration depth and slow reaction kinetics of HAP formation were considered the major bottlenecks for more robust bulk property improvement.

Forest management is an important tool for GHG mitigation by representing three carbon pools: living biomass, forest soil, and wood-based products. Additionally, increasing attention has been given to the potential for wood products to substitute fossil-intensive products as a climate mitigation strategy. The goal of this paper is to analyse the theoretical GHG effects of fully replacing four common non-wood products with wood-based products of 'low' and 'high' technology options that have a similar functionality: (1) Spruce particle board substituting polyurethane (PU) foam insulation board; (2) spruce cross-laminated timber beam (CLT) substituting steel beam; (3) birch energy wood substituting electric heating; and (4) birch plywood substituting plaster board. The analysis was based on forestry in Western Norway as a case study, where forests typically consist of naturally generated birch and expanding areas of planted Norway spruce. In this study we compare wood products derived from paired stands of Norway spruce and downy birch. The analysis showed that spruce gave a higher theoretical substitution effect relative to birch for the selected pairs of woody and non-woody products. CLT substituting steel beam gave the highest substitution effect, approximately 15% higher than particle board substituting PU foam board. The theoretical substitution effect in mass units of carbon per kg wood product for the two spruce wood products was approximately 17 times higher relative to substituting Norwegian hydro energy-based electric heating, whereas plywood substituting plaster board may in fact increase GHG emissions. As the gross emissions were relatively similar for the birch plywood and the spruce particle board, the major substitution effect was related to the avoided emission of the non-woody product rather than to the tree species per se. The paper concludes that the choice of product to be substituted was the key factor that determined the final substitution effects. Furthermore, the study showed that transportation was the single most important factor that affected the emissions between planting and delivery of the timber at production gate. The analysis enables informed decisions related to CO2-emissions at the various steps from tree planting to wood conversion, and underline the importance of informed decision related to the choice of substitution products.

Pyrolysis of plastic mixtures has shown to form complex mixtures of oil, which is difficult to predict. Interaction effects between plastics have shown to affect both the oil composition and the yield distribution of oil, char, and gas. This work aims to generate models for the prediction of oil and char yield, acid number, and viscosity based on the feed composition. Besides the oil composition based on the reactor feed was mapped. Pyrolysis was performed in a batch reactor with a mixture of PP, PE, EVA, PET, PS and PA, where the content of PET, PS and PA were varied from 0% to 15%. The developed models showed a decrease in oil yield of 10% when 15% PS was interchanged with PET. Char content, acid number, and viscosity were shown to increase with the content of PET and lowered with the content of PS. PA caused an increase in char yield and viscosity, while it did not affect the acid number. The models R2-values varied from 0.87 to 0.96, showing that most of the variation in the responses can be explained by the differences in feed composition. The oil composition was found to mainly consist of hydrocarbons (C10+), naphta and aromatics with only a small precense of alcohol and acid. The content of aromatic hydrocarbons is increased by the presence of PS, due to formation of styrene and toluene while the acid content increases with the PET content.

This paper investigates the deposition of calcareous material on carbon steel through cathodic protection. A Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to model the electrodeposition of calcareous material in ASTM seawater by varying temperature and current density parameters. The calcareous deposit was more compact at a current density <= 150 mu A/cm2. At least 55 mu A/cm2 current density was required to provide cathodic protection and initiate electrodeposition, thus inhibiting corrosion. Furthermore, the produced RSM models can predict the amount and composition of the material at 55 - 310 mu A/cm2 current density and 4 - 25 degrees C temperature.

In Norway, stationary energy use in the housing sector grew steeply from the 1970 s to the beginning of the 1990 s, however over the last decades it has reached a saturation level. This article explains why Norway energy use increased at a different rate from 1990 to 2019 (0.15 percent per year) compared to development from 1970 to 1990 (2.4 percent per year). It asks: What explains the actual change in energy use since 1990? How might the choice of different mixes of energy policy measures affect household energy use towards 2030? A complex dynamic model was developed to understand the factors affecting stationary energy use in the housing sector and our analyses highlight three variables that explain the shift in trend: (1) lower growth in in dwelling area per person, (2) lower energy use per m2 and (3) changes in outdoor temperature. Our study helps examine changes in overarching policy during the period from growth towards reducing stationary energy use in the housing sector. In Norway, the goal is to reduce energy use by 10 TWh in existing buildings by 2030, compared with the 2016 level. Should the housing sector take its share this imply a 5 TWh reduction by 2030. To achieve a reduction of 5 TWh by 2030, we conclude that we need to utilize very different policy instruments. The living area per person need to decline and a redistribution of area from detached houses to apartment blocks, thus indicating that an effective policy will be maximum standards for housing consumption per capita. Renovation of existing buildings will also have a major effect and should be applied to reduce gross heating demand and energy for water heating, thus instruments to create supply and demand and new business opportunities for renovation and energy efficiency should be promoted.

Aim: Nursing students report emotional distress and feelings of inadequacy to the complexity of palliative care. This study aimed to examine nursing students' attainment of learning outcomes in palliative care through simulation and hospital placement. Design: A longitudinal, intervention study. Methods: Fifty-five second-year bachelor nursing students participated. Three waves of assessments were performed: (1) pretest; (2) postsimulation test and (3) postplacement test after the completion of the placement. Non-parametric Wilcoxon's signed-rank test for paired samples was used to test for differences between assessments of knowledge, skills and competence before and after simulation, and between postsimulation and post hospital placement. Results: The results showed positive differences between pre- and postsimulation, indicating that learning outcomes were attained through simulation. However, negative differences between the postplacement test and postsimulation test scores indicated that the participants had practiced learning outcome from the simulation to a small degree during placement.

Low-Voltage Mineral Deposition technology (LVMD), widely known as Biorock, has previously been suggested as support for coral reef restoration, as hypothesized high porosity, wide pore-size distribution and connectivity, and good strength properties may facilitate biological functions (for example larvae settlement) and durability. In this technology, very low voltage induces an electrical current that initiates precipitation and accretion of hard minerals (aragonite and calcite) on a metal in seawater. This technology has been discussed mainly for its biological value, while this paper wants to highlight also its engineering value as artificial reef material. Indeed, some of the properties that makes it valuable in one domain are also supporting its use in the other. Because the metal on which the precipitation takes place can be of any shape and size, so can the artificial reef and its mechanical strength characteristics are above the ones of corals and similar to concrete, indicating adequate durability. Coral and boulder reefs suffering from degradation have severe implications on biodiversity, protection from flooding, and cultural value and therefore understanding how to persevere and re-establish these ecosystems is central for sustainable intervention in the marine environment. By comparing chemical-physical characteristics of Coral Porites Exoskeleton (CPE), one typical reef building coral type, LVMD and High-Voltage Mineral Deposition (HVMD), we show that they possess highly similar properties including chemical composition, density, total porosity, pore-size distribution, physical and chemical heterogeneity, total and external surface areas, and comparable mechanical strength.

The ever-increasing global demand for concrete engenders concerning sustainability issues. In addition to the large CO2 emissions induced by the production of cement, the fabrication of concrete requires important mining and excavation for the extraction of specific minerals, sand, and aggregates, which can endanger local ecosystems. Seacrete (also known as "Seament" or "Biorock") has previously been suggested as a potential alternative to traditional cementitious materials. Seacrete is artificial electrolytically precipitated calcium carbonate around a steel-frame cathode in which electrical current flows and that is submerged in seawater. Previous studies showed that it is ideal for the restoration of coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Furthermore, Seacrete is a very interesting sustainable concrete-like construction material for buildings and other human infrastructures. Indeed, it can be produced nearby all coastlines without any need for mining, extraction or transportation of additional material. In addition, the fabrication of Seacrete can easily be powered by low-intensity or local intermittent renewable energy sources. Previous publications pointed out that the mechanical properties and strength of Seacrete are similar to that of concrete, but no investigation has been conducted on other properties. For the first time, the current experimental study assesses the thermal and moisture properties of Seacrete. This article reports the density, compression strength, puncture resistance, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and water vapour sorption isotherms of two types of Seacrete, namely low-voltage and high-voltage Seacrete. Finally, this study emphasizes that all the aforementioned material properties of Seacrete are similar to that of concrete, confirming that the former can be considered for the construction of certain building elements and infrastructures. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Meeting one sustainable development goal on human needs, social justice, or environmental limits can make it harder (or easier) to meet others. The extent to which countries succeed in reconciling these goals is context specific but depends largely on how we organize society and on what policy options and strategies we use. We present a model for sustainable development consisting of six indicators and assign thresholds that define a sustainable development space. The distances between the indicator values and their corresponding thresholds constitute the sustainable development gap. We then apply a cluster analysis technique to group 117 countries into six clusters that face similar challenges in closing this gap. Finally, we use illustrative spider web diagrams to assess the performance of these clusters at two points in time. We show that some countries have clearly been better than others at reconciling these goals, and many have reduced their sustainable development gap over time.

Introduction. The Norwegian regulations for nursing homes consider access to meaningful activities to be an indicator for the quality of nursing homes. Activities of daily living (ADL) provide important basic self-care skills for nursing home residents. Due to the physical changes caused by ageing and comorbidities, nursing home residents may experience functional decline over time, which may affect their ability to perform meaningful ADL, such as outdoor activity, which is considered a valuable and meaningful activity in Norwegian culture. This study aimed to investigate the association between ADL status, institution-dwelling and outdoor activity among nursing home residents. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 784 residents aged >67 years living in 21 nursing homes in 15 Norwegian municipalities between November 2016 and May 2018. The Barthel Index was used to assess the nursing home residents' ADL status. Other variables collected were age, gender, body weight and height, visits per month, institution, ward, and participation in weekly outdoor activities. Descriptive statistics were used to provide an overview of the residents' characteristics. A Poisson regression model was used to test the association between the outdoor activity level as the dependent variable and ADL score, institution, and other control variables as independent variables. Results. More than half (57%) of the nursing home residents in this sample did not go outdoors. More than 50% of the residents had an ADL score <10, which indicates low performance status. Further, we found that residents' ADL status, institution, ward, and number of visits had an impact on how often the residents went outdoors. Discussion. The nursing home residents in this study rarely went outdoors, which is interesting because Norwegians appreciate this activity. Differences in the number of visits might explain why some residents went outdoors more often than other residents did. Our findings also highlight that the institutions impact the outdoor activity. How the institutions are organized and how important this activity is considered to be in the institutions determine how often the activity is performed. Conclusion. The low frequency of the outdoor activities might be explained by a low ADL score. More than 50% of the residents had an ADL score <10, which indicates low performance status. Despite regulations for nursing home quality in Norway, this result suggests that organizational differences matter, which is an important implication for further research, health policy and practice.

With the approaching end of the productive lives of offshore oil and gas platforms, the issue about decommissioning and what to do with existing structures arises. In this regard, this study aims to test solutions, at a preliminary level, for the eco-sustainable reuse of platforms at the end of their extraction phase. In particular, mineral accretion technology is applied by low-voltage electrolysis of seawater due to the precipitation of calcium carbonate on a cathode material in order to assess the protection capacity of the platforms against corrosion. This approach allows the extension of a platform’s “life” under a more sustainable purpose. The results, derived from laboratory and field experiments, will allow us to reduce uncertainties and define the best operating conditions to increase the efficiency of the mineral accretion technology in the marine ecosystem. The data collection on the main parameters that influence the process (i.e., temperature, salinity, and applied current) and the quantitative analysis of the collected material allowed us to acquire a better knowledge about mineral composition and deposition rate.

Herein, a novel nitrogen-doped graphene-iron based electrocatalyst was synthesized by a simple one-step high-temperature annealing of dehydrated Prussian blue (Na4Fe(CN)(6)center dot 10H(2)O)as a cost-effective precursor. The synthesized nitrogen-doped catalytic particle electrodes (NCPEs) were then used as heterogeneous electroFenton (EF) catalyst in a three-dimensional (3D) system. A high degree of graphitization and rich nitrogen doping content were observed after characterization of synthesized Fe3C@nitrogen doped-graphene-iron oxide (Fe3C@N-GE-Fe3O4) that both are beneficial for promoting oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) as a critical step in electrochemical oxidation of pollutants. The promotional effect of combining 3D and EF systems was evaluated by comparing the performance of different electrochemical processes including homogeneous EF process for the removal of p-nitrosodimethylaniline (RNO) as a model pollutant. The effect of operational parameters such as voltage, pH, NCPEs loading, and reusability on RNO decolorization was also investigated to achieve optimum conditions for pesticide removal from water as the final step of this study. RNO decolorization efficiency was found to be the best in 3D-NCPEs system comparing to other processes including 3D system with granular activated carbon (GAC) as particle electrode. Synthesized particle electrode demonstrated an excellent RNO degradation ability even in its saturated state (similar to 91% of RNO decolorization) with low concentration of iron leaching. Moreover, in the reusability experiments of NCPEs for over 1500 min and after the fifth test, RNO decolorization efficiency remained up to 87%. Finally, the synthesized catalyst was capable of removing up to 93% of targeted pesticides from the water under optimal conditions obtained from the previous step.

The synergy between electrochemical oxidation and adsorption on particle electrodes was investigated in three-dimensional (3D) systems for p-nitrosodimethylaniline (RNO) decolorization and pesticide removal. A comparison was made between granular activated carbon (GAC) and a novel synthesized nitrogen-doped graphene-based particle electrode (NCPE). Experiments on RNO decolorization show that the synergy parameter of the 3D-NCPE system was improved 3000 times compared to the studied 3D-GAC system. This was due to the specific nanostructure and composition of the NCPE material. Nitrogen-doped graphene triggered an oxygen reduction reaction, producing hydrogen peroxide that simultaneously catalyzed on iron sites of the NCPEs to hydroxyl radicals following the electro-Fenton (EF) process. Data showed that in the experimental setup used for the study, the applied cell voltage required for the optimal value of the synergy parameter could be lowered to 5V in the 3D-NCPEs process, which is significantly better than the 15–20 V needed for synergy to be found in the 3D-GAC process. Compared to previous studies with 3D-GAC, the removal of pesticides 2,6 dichlorobenzamide (BAM), 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyaceticacid (MCPA), and methylchlorophenoxypropionic acid (MCPP) was also enhanced in the 3D-NCPE system.

Which narratives can statistics tell about men and women’s participation in ICT? The question is relevant across the western world showing a pattern of more men than women in ICT work. This chapter presents an analysis of available statistics that contribute to an image of women’s participation in ICT work and education. The scope of the study is European countries with an emphasis on Norway, however, we also present statistics from OECD. The statistics confirm that the gender imbalance in ICT work is significant, suggesting that monitoring this field is important. The analysis also reveals challenges and gaps in the material, for instance the challenge of finding comparable numbers, a reduced use of gender as a variable in later years, difficulties in identifying the gendered structures of ICT due to a mixture of occupational fields for some of the relevant numbers, while other issues found to be relevant in qualitative studies are not represented in the available statistics. The monitoring of gendered structures of ICT work can be improved by developing statistics that better can capture inequalities and hierarchies. The findings also suggest that qualitative research is an important complement and correction to statistical overviews, in particular for identifying factors that alone and together contribute to gender inequalities in ICT.

In this work principal component analysis (PCA) was used to study the effect of batch, reduction temperature, TiO2 content and UV-C irradiation on the surface energy, -polarity and interlayer spacing of photoactive TiO2/GO composite membranes. Two PCA models were successfully developed. The first PCA model shows a negative correlation between reduction temperature and d-spacing. Less hydrophilic TiO2/GO membranes were obtained at 160 °C compared to membranes reduced at 140 °C. Also, the surface polarity and surface energy were significantly enhanced by the addition of higher TiO2 content. The second model explain the effect of UV-C activation on the surface energy of the TiO2/GO composite membranes. For the GO membranes containing TiO2 a significant increase in surface energy and -polarity was observed after UV-C activation. Moreover, a positive correlation between the TiO2 content and surface energy after UV-C activation was observed. Higher TiO2 content results in higher surface energy. GO batches prepared by different groups was not found to significantly affect the properties of the TiO2/GO composite membranes suggesting that the preparation method is relative robust.

Cruises are one of the fastest growing and most energy-intense tourism segments, accounting for significant emissions of greenhouse gases, as well as air pollutants such as nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM2.5). International measures to limit the sector's environmental impacts have so far had no significant effects. This highlights the importance of national, regional or port-specific policies, as implemented or in planning by countries such as Norway. In order to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of such policies, it is necessary to better understand emissions. This paper models the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2), NOx and PM2.5 emitted at sea and in port in Norwegian waters. Results show that 81 cruise ships of various sizes sailed Norwegian waters in 2017, consuming 129,798 t of fuel and emitting 0.4 Mt of CO2, as well as 7184 t of NOx and 132 t of PM2.5. About 14.6% of these pollutants are deposited in ports, particularly Bergen, Oslo and Stavanger. Findings also confirm considerable differences in the environmental performance of cruise ships, and can be used to design maritime policies forcing cruise operators to introduce cleaner technologies and to rethink operational practices.

This chapter claims that sustainable development is an ethical statement, on a par with human rights. Based on Our Common Future, the authors derive three equally important moral imperatives: satisfying human needs, ensuring social justice, and respecting environmental limits. They develop a normative model for sustainable development by linking the imperatives to six themes, selecting indicators and assigning thresholds that must be met. The authors argue that the themes can come neither from short-term political consensus nor from parochial stakeholder preferences. Rather, they must come from the moral imperatives of sustainable development and from theories fundamental to understanding those imperatives. The chapter uses data for 117 countries and applies a cluster analysis to illustrate how different groups of countries face different challenges. Meeting one threshold may make it harder to meet another, and the analysis focuses on identifying countries that have managed to reconcile these trade-offs in a good way.