Showing papers by "Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) published in 2013"

WIKIPEDIA. Between lay participation and elite knowledge representation

Abstract: The decentralized participatory architecture of the Internet challenges traditional knowledge authorities and hierarchies. Questions arise about whether lay inclusion helps to ‘democratize’ knowledge formation or if existing hierarchies are re-enacted online. This article focuses on Wikipedia, a much-celebrated example which gives an in-depth picture of the process of knowledge production in an open environment. Drawing on insights from the sociology of knowledge, Wikipedia's talk pages are conceptualized as an arena where reality is socially constructed. Using grounded theory, this article examines the entry for the September 11 attacks and its related talk pages in the German Wikipedia. Numerous alternative interpretations (labeled as ‘conspiracy theories’) that fundamentally contradict the account of established knowledge authorities regarding this event have emerged. On the talk pages, these views collide, thereby serving as a useful case study to examine the role of experts and lay participants in th...

Synthetic genomics and synthetic biology applications between hopes and concerns.

Abstract: New organisms and biological systems designed to satisfy human needs are among the aims of synthetic genomics and synthetic biology. Synthetic biology seeks to model and construct biological components, functions and organisms that do not exist in nature or to redesign existing biological systems to perform new functions. Synthetic genomics, on the other hand, encompasses technologies for the generation of chemically-synthesized whole genomes or larger parts of genomes, allowing to simultaneously engineer a myriad of changes to the genetic material of organisms. Engineering complex functions or new organisms in synthetic biology are thus progressively becoming dependent on and converging with synthetic genomics. While applications from both areas have been predicted to offer great benefits by making possible new drugs, renewable chemicals or clean energy, they have also given rise to concerns about new safety, environmental and socio-economic risks - stirring an increasingly polarizing debate. Here we intend to provide an overview on recent progress in biomedical and biotechnological applications of synthetic genomics and synthetic biology as well as on arguments and evidence related to their possible benefits, risks and governance implications.

e-Participation Model for Sustainable Cultural Tourism Management: a Bottom-Up Approach

Abstract: The paper presents a ‘bottom-up approach’ for cultural tourism management, based on the development of an e-participation website for an Italian city, where the stakeholders are placed at the centre of the decisional process. The analysis provides an indication on how to personalize and differentiate the cultural tourism offer according to the stakeholders’ perspectives and to specific territorial characteristics. Innovative techniques of stakeholders’ engagement are offered by information and communication technologies tools that can play a vital role in today's cultural destinations. However, the study shows that the Web is yet to be utilized as an effective tool in stakeholders’ participation processes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The future of mobility and its critical raw materials

Abstract: Concerns for climate change and declining oil reserves lead to a shift of transportation systems in many industrial countries. However, alternative drive concepts contain to some extent critical raw materials. Since the availability of certain raw materials could be decisive for the success of emerging technologies, concerns are growing about the potential limitation of resources. This brought about a growing attention to the subjects of criticality and resource security of raw materials by science, policy and industry. Four of the resulting surveys are described in terms of their framing of criticality, their indicators for evaluating criticality, and their rankings of potentially critical raw materials. Critical raw materials are used in alternative drive concepts because of their specific properties. The focus of our work lies on batteries for electric vehicles with special attention to lithium-ion batteries being one of the most promising candidates for energy storage there. Lithium-ion batteries use as major cathode materials lithium, manganese and cobalt, all of which are potential critical. A material flow model of the global manganese cycle is developed. It could be identified that there is a lack of relevant data for processes and flows. The lack of data impedes a comprehensive view and therefore no final conclusions could be drawn, which advice the need for further research. Using manganese as an example, it could be illustrated how material flow analysis can contribute to compiling relevant preparatory work that can subsequently serve as a basis for a prospective support of a criticality evaluation and to inform stakeholders and policy makers about the effectiveness of various interventions to reduce the risk or the effects of supply chain disruptions.

Envisioning the sustainability of the production of short rotation coppice on grassland

Abstract: Short rotation coppices (SRC) offer a chance to enhance sustainable biomass production and to enlarge domestic wood resources. On arable land, SRC are less competitive in many regions compared to cropping systems and thus farmers are interested to establish SRC on grassland. This change of land use is discussed controversially because of the associated effects on the carbon-sequestering ecosystem grassland. In this paper, land use changes will be analyzed in reference to sustainability objectives, including aspects of land use competition with food and energy production or the preservation of biodiversity. The Integrative Sustainability Concept has been adapted and applied to identify the relevant sustainability objectives using a holistic approach in order to assess the potential for the change in sustainable land use towards an expanded supply of lignocellulose-based bioenergy. A set of sustainability criteria with a special focus on the change in land use from grassland to SRC has been developed and discussed. For selected criteria, adequate sustainability indicators have been chosen and applied to a case study of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg in Germany. The indicators have been implemented by performing a spatial differentiated bottom-up assessment using GIS-based data. The results revealed that around 13% of the grassland could be converted into SRC without harming the considered sustainability criteria. The exploitation of the assessed potential for the change in sustainable land use from grassland to SRC could contribute to decentralize renewable energy supply, local employment and income. With regard to the economic values otherwise lost-, it is recommended not to set grassland conservation as an area-wide imperative. Instead strategies to direct the establishment of SRC to the most suitable areas and technologies should be developed realizing that land use transformation will be performed in a minimal invasive way to ensure compliance with the environment and climate protection.

Risk assessment of nanomaterials and nanoproducts ? adaptation of traditional approaches

Abstract: Different approaches have been adopted for assessing the potential risks of conventional chemicals and products for human health. In general, the traditional paradigm is a toxicological-driven chemical-by-chemical approach, focusing on single toxic endpoints. Scope and responsibilities for the development and implementation of a risk assessment concept vary across sectors and areas and depends on the specific regulatory environment and the specific protection goals. Thus, risk assessment implication is a complex task based not only on science based knowledge but also on the regulatory context involving different parties and stakeholders. Questions have been raised whether standard paradigms for conventional chemicals would be applicable and adequate for new materials, products and applications of nanotechnology. Most scientists and stakeholders assume that current standard methods are in principle applicable to nanomaterials, but specific aspects require further development. The paper presents additional technical improvements like the complementary use of the life cycle methodology and the support of risk-based classification systems. But also aspects improving the utility of risk assessment with regard to societal impacts on risk governance are discussed.

Biocybernetic adaptation and privacy

Abstract: Biocybernetic adaptation is a new approach to optimizing human–computer interfaces and human–computer interaction. Bio-signals and, more broadly, vital data of a person are collected and interpreted in real time by a computer in order to trigger its own adaptive processes. The collection of highly sensitive data is thus a necessary condition for the purpose of making the application more user-friendly. Therefore, the most obvious and important social, legal and ethical issues in this kind of application are privacy and data protection. In this research note we report from a technology assessment project for the European Parliament. We provide some conceptual distinctions, highlight the most promising application fields, and discuss privacy challenges and potential regulatory actions to be taken.

“And in the end my street will not be the same”. The art project 2–3 Streets and its link to (un)sustainability, creative urban development and modernization

Abstract: The art project 2–3 Streets, initiated by the artist Jochen Gerz, was part of the European Capital of Culture year RUHR.2010. International participants were invited to live in ‘deprived’ areas of three cities in the Ruhr-region in Germany. In this paper we discuss two separately conducted studies of the effects of this art project for the neighborhoods involved, describing critical aspects and placing them in a theoretical framework of sustainability, creative cities and modernization. The bringing together of the complementing theoretical findings of the two studies results in a reflection of (un)sustainable tendencies (within this art project), which can offer subsequent insights for other (art) projects in the thematic area of urban development. Our exploratory analysis enables a framework for further in-depth empirical research.

A new monitoring process of future topics for innovation and technological analysis: informing Germanys’ innovation policy

Abstract: Technologyassessment(TA) isdefinedasproblem- oriented transdisciplinary research that aims at working out solutions for societal problems. It provides advice to those in politics, science and wider society on issues related to re- search,technologyandinnovation.Thereiswidespreadagree- ment that TA should start at an early phase in order to con- tribute to responsible strategic technology development. If we assume limited resources, the question remained, however, how priority setting of TA should be organised. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research launched a researchproject toanswer thisquestionbased ontheir funding strategy. In this paper, we propose an approach to determine when TA should be conducted in a given situation, and which methodological approach of TA is most promising: using a 'coarse radar', several topics were identified in a two-pronged search approach. Then relevant topics were selected with the help of experts and the decision-making body itself. Finally, using a 'fine radar', detailed problem analyses of the prioritised topics were made to present concrete suggestions for funding by the BMBF (pre-projects). The paper evaluates briefly the methodology and discusses initial findings of the method evaluation process.

Life Cycle Assessment in Chemical and Micro Reaction Engineering

Abstract: Life cycle assessment (LCA) has become increasingly popular in chemical industry as a standardized methodology for analysis of the environmental impact of products during their whole life cycle. Changes in process design by novel approaches like micro reaction engineering and the respective influence on the use of life cycle assessment are reviewed. The available literature on LCA in early research and development is comprehensively explored for conventional chemical and micro reaction engineering.

The City as Fulcrum of Global SustainabilityThe City as Fulcrum of Global Sustainability, by YanarellaErnest J.LevineRichard S.London, UK: Anthem Press, 2011. 285pp. $99.00 cloth. ISBN: 9780857287724.

Abstract: This book begins with the creation of the colony of the Philippines in 1898 and ends with national independence in 1946. However, the book does not center upon either; instead, it focuses on the economic, political, and legal struggles of Filipino immigrants in the United States. The book is organized chronologically, although there is some overlap of periods across chapters. The first chapter deals with the racial politics of empire and the establishment of the Philippines as a colony of the United States. This lays the groundwork for the analysis of the political economy of Filipino immigration (1900s–1920s) in the second chapter. The next chapter deals more specifically with social and legal barriers that Filipinos confronted during the first three decades of the century. Chapter Four is a study of violence directed against Filipinos in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Finally, last two chapters deal with the political negotiations for independence, the participation of Filipinos in the Second World War, and the consequences for immigrants in the United States. The colonization of the Philippines resulted in the creation of a new legal category: the U.S. national, that is, those persons owing allegiance to the United States because they were at the same time citizens of one of its colonies. However ‘‘nationals’’ were not full-fledged citizens of the United States, and this initially led to considerable confusion about their rights to entry and to work. This ambiguous political status set the stage for the immigration of Filipinos who came to work in agri-business, first in Hawaii and then to the western and southwestern states. Later, Filipinos would also find work in service and industrial sectors. The first generation of Filipino immigrants struggled for and soon (in 1906) attained the right, as U.S. nationals, to unlimited entry into the United States. The author skillfully shows how Filipinos were clearly agents, and not merely victims, in this process: they were active in both class struggles, to obtain better wages and conditions, and legal battles, to achieve right of entry into the United States. Even though they gained the right to unrestricted immigration, Filipinos confronted other legal barriers regarding interracial marriage, property rights, and naturalization as U.S. citizens. In addition, local governments also attempted to police the color line by passing laws enforcing social segregation. In general, the legal issues were complicated by two principal factors. First, the laws were not always created with Filipinos in mind and the existing racial categories did not easily apply. Indeed, part of the strategy of Filipinos was to argue that they were outside of the laws that were erected explicitly against Afro-Americans, Mexicans, and ‘‘Asiatics,’’ namely, Chinese and Japanese. Second, the interests of local ‘‘nativists’’ often conflicted with those in agribusiness or the federal government. On the one hand, the nativists sought to preserve white privilege, dominance, and the color line; they opposed Filipino immigration. On the other hand, agricultural enterprises were in favor of Filipino workers, although they also sought ways to divide and conquer them whenever workers organized and pressed for better working conditions. In addition, the federal government was obliged to concede some degree of legal and naturalization rights to Filipinos. In the international sphere, it was not good politics to simply exclude them as ‘‘aliens’’ in U.S. society. Especially interesting is the analysis of the diverse and often contradictory positions of the local nativists in towns, counties, and states, the economic interests of agribusiness in the region, and the laws and policies of the federal government. In addition, the full range of actions and strategies of Filipinos on different fronts is fully explained.

Data quality assessment of lci datasets – a systematic approach to integrate different user requirements

Abstract: The data quality of an LCI assesses whether different requirements are met taking into account the goal and scope. A systematic approach was developed that checks the data quality of a dataset against different user requirements. As an example this was applied to a data set from the European Reference Life Cycle Database [ELCD 3.0]. Here general requirements from the International Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) handbook and the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) Guide were complemented by specific user needs. User requirements, data quality criteria and target states were defined. The actual state of the data was compared to the target and possible shortcomings were identified. From this a recommendation how to use or improve the dataset was deducted.