From speculation to reality: Enhancing anticipatory ethics for emerging technologies (ATE) in practice

Various approaches have emerged over the last several decades to meet the challenges and complexities of anticipating and responding to the potential impacts of emerging technologies. Although many of the existing approaches share similarities, they each have shortfalls. This paper takes as the object of its study Anticipatory Ethics for Emerging Technologies (ATE) to technology assessment, given that it was formatted to address many of the privations characterising parallel approaches. The ATE approach, also in practice, presents certain areas for retooling, such as how it characterises levels and objects of analysis. This paper results from the work done with the TechEthos Horizon 2020 project in evaluating the ethical, legal, and social impacts of climate engineering, digital extended reality, and neurotechnologies. To meet the challenges these technology families present, this paper aims to enhance the ATE framework to encompass the variety of human processes and material forms, functions, and applications that comprise the socio-technical systems in which these technologies are embedded.     

Integrating Ethics & Engineering: A Graduate Option in Systems Engineering,Ethics, and Technology Studies

This paper describes an engineering graduate option in Systems Engineering designed to overcome some of the effects of specialization and compartmentalization by building a link between technical and ethical training. Students in this option produce case studies that emphasize ethical issues in the design process. The goal of the program is to turn out ethical professionals who are able to reflect on the moral implications of technology. The proposed approach uses realistic or real‐hypothetical hybrid case studies as a type of vicarious mentoring, and, when supplemented with readings in ethical theory and codes, may serve as a starting point for a deeper understanding of behavioral dilemmas. The developers of this approach are a multi‐disciplinary team from the Engineering School and the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. The paper describes how the graduate option is structured and provides data on student outcomes.     

基于交互式遗传算法模型的群体论证方法

针对综合集成研讨厅进行复杂决策问题研讨时,群体专家提出的众多定性意见最终如何实现收敛的问题,提出了基于交互式遗传算法模型的群体论证方法,使专家的群体思维与计算机技术紧密结合,达成共识。实践证明,该方法可以较好地获得复杂决策问题的优化解,且更符合实际的研讨论证过程。     

Implications of Brexit for environmental assessment in the United Kingdom – results from a 1-day workshop at the University of Liverpool

There is currently a lack of clarity for what the anticipated British Exit from the European Union will mean for environmental assessment (EA) in the United Kingdom (UK) in the medium to long term. It is within this context that a workshop was organised by the Environmental Assessment and Management Centre (University of Liverpool) and held in Liverpool on 14 June 2017, with the involvement of the Ireland-UK branch of the International Association for Impact Assessment. Seven speakers talked on various aspects of the potential implications of Brexit for EA in the UK. The letter provides the key messages delivered by the speakers and in doing so draws out the benefits and risks associated with Brexit. Overall, the workshop concluded with the message that Brexit has the potential to allow EA, and other environmental legislation to be revisited, updated and strengthened.     

Practice report: Assessing the economic impacts of roads passing through ecologically sensitive areas: a case study in Cape Town,South Africa

A recent environmental impact assessment of a proposed new toll road in Cape Town, South Africa raised some interesting questions, particularly with respect to the impacts of routing a road through an environmentally sensitive area. The paper discusses the challenges encountered in assessing the economic implications of this routing and how workable methodological solutions were arrived at. Our approach was to investigate the longer-term opportunity costs associated with the preferred routing. This was done through focusing on the strategic importance of the area without necessarily engaging in detailed quantification.     

Safety assessment in plant layout design using indexing approach: implementing inherent safety perspective. Part 1 - guideword applicability and method description

Layout planning plays a key role in the inherent safety performance of process plants since this design feature controls the possibility of accidental chain-events and the magnitude of possible consequences. A lack of suitable methods to promote the effective implementation of inherent safety in layout design calls for the development of new techniques and methods. In the present paper, a safety assessment approach suitable for layout design in the critical early phase is proposed. The concept of inherent safety is implemented within this safety assessment; the approach is based on an integrated assessment of inherent safety guideword applicability within the constraints typically present in layout design. Application of these guidewords is evaluated along with unit hazards and control devices to quantitatively map the safety performance of different layout options. Moreover, the economic aspects related to safety and inherent safety are evaluated by the method. Specific sub-indices are developed within the integrated safety assessment system to analyze and quantify the hazard related to domino effects. The proposed approach is quick in application, auditable and shares a common framework applicable in other phases of the design lifecycle (e.g. process design). The present work is divided in two parts: Part 1 (current paper) presents the application of inherent safety guidelines in layout design and the index method for safety assessment; Part 2 (accompanying paper) describes the domino hazard sub-index and demonstrates the proposed approach with a case study, thus evidencing the introduction of inherent safety features in layout design.     

How strategic dynamics complicate the framing of alternatives in strategic environmental assessment: the case of the Danish natural gas planning

Unpredictable and complex developments challenge the application of strategic environmental assessment (SEA), for example, in terms of timing, prediction and relevance of assessments. In particular, multi-actor and unstructured strategic-level decision-making processes often seem to be characterised by unpredictable and complex changes. Despite the apparent implications, explorative investigations about how unpredictability influences SEA application in practice are rare. This article aims to shed light on contextual changes and reactions to such changes in practice by a case study of the specific SEA process of the Danish Natural Gas Security of Supply Plan. Special emphasis is given to the framing of alternatives in the SEA process, since alternatives are directly related to the contextual developments. Based on a participative approach, strategic dynamics are mapped and the reactions and concerns in the SEA team are outlined. The contribution of the article is enhanced empirical understanding of strategic dynamics and how it challenges SEA application.     

Governance assessment of UAV implementation in Kenyan land administration system

The ‘fit-for-purpose’ (FFP) approach was developed to respond to the challenges that the creation of a sustainable land administration system (LAS) faces. FFP has proved its value in integrating technological innovations such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in LAS. Technological innovations need to consider the governance context when being implemented. Understanding the relevance of the FFP approach and acknowledging the importance of the governance context, this research applies the ‘Fit-for-purpose governance assessment framework’ (FGAF). FGAF helps to understand the challenges that the implementation of UAVs can face in the LAS in Kenya. This governance assessment is based on 16 semi-structured in-depth interviews, three one-day workshops with local stakeholders and UAVs pilot studies to test the technology. The findings suggest that there are major and minor challenges concerning different attributes of FFP qualities. The governance context across counties is fragmented with a high degree of uncertainty and uneven capacity conditions. There are overlapping responsibilities and trust issues among the different actors. Participation of private and non-governmental actors is limited. Yet, steps have been taken toward the adoption of innovative approaches. Although financial resources are limited, the diversity of local and international stakeholders can work as a leverage point to support the implementation of UAVs in the mid and long-term.     

Biophotonic Tools in Cell and Tissue Diagnostics

In order to maintain the rapid advance of biophotonics in the U.S. and enhance our competitiveness worldwide, key measurement tools must be in place. As part of a wide-reaching effort to improve the U.S. technology base, the National Institute of Standards and Technology sponsored a workshop titled “Biophotonic tools for cell and tissue diagnostics.” The workshop focused on diagnostic techniques involving the interaction between biological systems and photons. Through invited presentations by industry representatives and panel discussion, near- and far-term measurement needs were evaluated. As a result of this workshop, this document has been prepared on the measurement tools needed for biophotonic cell and tissue diagnostics. This will become a part of the larger measurement road-mapping effort to be presented to the Nation as an assessment of the U.S. Measurement System. The information will be used to highlight measurement needs to the community and to facilitate solutions.     

Developing a roadmap for the moral programming of smart technology

Smart technology is increasingly integrated in our ethical decision making. This raises questions as to how we should morally program technology. Deciding on moral programming depends on the moral intensity of the ethical issue. A moral intensity dashboard for engineers can help allocate the most suitable moral authority for a particular moral programming. Technology is not capable of ‘doing’ ethics the way humans do. This leaves forms of consequentialism and deontology as the most reasonable programming alternatives, using deontic logic as a starting point. Furthermore, it is very likely that in the more complicated settings, technology should have elements of meta ethics in its moral programming to adequately deal with scenarios that lead to conflicts in moral programming. We propose to use the calculation methods that stem from a comparative approach or the Expected Moral Value approach. All this has considerable consequences in how we should see moral programming in technology-driven ethical decision-making processes. We will therefore propose a roadmap for the moral programming of smart technology.     

An integrated impact assessment of the effects of climate change on the Pacific Northwest salmon fishery

Typically natural resource managers do not consider the implications of climate change even though natural resources depend on specific climatic conditions. This omission stems from the uncertainty associated with climate-change research, and an inability to apply that research to decision-making. This paper suggests that an impact assessment approach can be used to assess the impact that climate change may have on natural resource decisions demonstrating the approach by examining salmon fisheries in the Pacific Northwest.     

Policy SEA: lessons from development co-operation

This professional practice report reflects upon lessons learned from piloting and evaluating an innovative approach to policy strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in developing countries. The primary analytical focuses of the approach are institutions and governance characteristics, plus it places strong emphasis on learning. The piloting provides valuable insights about the conduct of SEA at the policy level and in socio-political where there is limited experience with SEA. From our observations we reflect upon the importance of appropriate ownership of an SEA; the practical implications of working in contested political environments; the challenges in using SEA as a tool to promote good governance; and the centrality of a long-term perspective to environmental and social mainstreaming.     

A historical overview of probabilistic risk assessment development and its use in the nuclear power industry: a tribute to the late Professor Norman Carl Rasmussen

This paper reviews the historical development of the probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methods and applications in the nuclear industry. A review of nuclear safety and regulatory developments in the early days of nuclear power in the United States has been presented. It is argued that due to technical difficulties for measuring and characterizing uncertainties and concerns over legal challenges, safety design and regulation of nuclear power plants has primarily relied upon conservative safety assessment methods derived based on a set of design and safety principles. Further, it is noted that the conservatism adopted in safety and design assessments has allowed the use of deterministic performance assessment methods. This approach worked successfully in the early years of nuclear power epoch as the reactor design proved to be safe enough. However, it has been observed that as the conservative approach to design and safety criteria proved arbitrary, and yielded inconsistencies in the degree to which different safety measures in nuclear power plants protect safety and public heath, the urge for a more consistent assessment of safety became apparent in the late 1960s. In the early 1970s, as a result of public and political pressures, then the US Atomic Energy Commission initiated a new look at the safety of the nuclear power plants through a comprehensive study called ‘Reactor Safety Study’ (WASH-1400, or ‘Rasmussen Study’—after its charismatic study leader Professor Norman Rasmussen of MIT) to demonstrate safety of the nuclear power plants. Completed in October 1975, this landmark study introduced a novel probabilistic, systematic and holistic approach to the assessment of safety, which ultimately resulted in a sweeping paradigm shift in safety design and regulation of nuclear power in the United States in the turn of the Century. Technical issues of historic significance and concerns raised by the subsequent reviews of the Rasmussen Study have been discussed. Effect of major events and developments such as the Three Mile Island accident and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Nuclear Industry sponsored studies on the tools, techniques and applications of the PRA that culminated in the present day risk-informed initiatives has been discussed.     

The SDGs and the sustainability assessment of private-sector projects: theoretical conceptualisation and comparison with current practice using the case study of the Asian Development Bank

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are receiving increasing attention in the private sector; however ex post assessment of operational sustainability performance remains well in advance of ex ante sustainability assessment of capital projects. It is also not yet commonplace to structure emergent forms of sustainability assessment to support the SDGs explicitly. This article reviews theoretical frameworks that aim to conceptualise sustainability assessment, and then explores the potential to develop SDG-focussed forms for use at the project-level. The extent of enhancement needed to current practice is illustrated using the case study of the Asian Development Bank. This analysis reveals that sustainability is being presented as a goal of project-level assessment and there has been progress towards delivering on this by, in particular, extending the thematic coverage. Amongst the key challenges remaining are how to address trade-offs (typically unavoidable for projects) and how to connect the SDGs, set at a global level, to the local-level where projects are considered. These findings, which reveal the gap between theory and practice, can inform efforts to develop SDG-focussed sustainability assessment.     

Topical review of artificial intelligence national policies: A mixed method analysis

A number of countries have adopted national policies and directives to balance the advantages and disadvantages of innovative technologies. The purpose of this paper is to identify the most prominent topics addressed by national AI policies, as well as their relative importance across nations. This paper integrates the results of a topic modeling analysis of 30 national AI policies with a qualitative content analysis of the policies. Based on this analysis, fourteen main common themes have been identified among national AI policies, which predominantly relate to educational, technological, government, ethical/legal, and social good concerns. Following this, we conducted a co-occurrence analysis of topics across countries to determine the extent of topic prioritization in each country. In this investigation, several marginalized AI policy topics were also identified. In general, the challenges and concerns of the majority of policies pertain to education, technology, and the government. Governments refer to real-world projects and investments in AI technologies without developing shared digital governance platforms that promote responsible and sustainable AI among technology titans and mitigate the negative effects of surveillance capitalism. Although governments acknowledge the ethical and legal aspects of AI development and frequently cite the GDPR, they limit their discussion to the data level, particularly data sharing, and marginalize ethical algorithms and other phases of data and AI management and design. In addition, government policies marginalize AI startups and the API economy, even though they play a crucial role in fostering the AI ecosystem. The paper contributes to the existing literature on AI policy and will serve as a guide for AI policymakers to help them better understand the topical similarities across countries and the neglected or marginalized challenges that require further attention.     

Polymer‐Based Resistive Memory Materials and Devices

Due to the advantages of good scalability, flexibility, low cost, ease of processing, 3D‐stacking capability, and large capacity for data storage, polymer‐based resistive memories have been a promising alternative or supplementary devices to conventional inorganic semiconductor‐based memory technology, and attracted significant scientific interest as a new and promising research field. In this review, we first introduced the general characteristics of the device structures and fabrication, memory effects, switching mechanisms, and effects of electrodes on memory properties associated with polymer‐based resistive memory devices. Subsequently, the research progress concerning the use of single polymers or polymer composites as active materials for resistive memory devices has been summarized and discussed. In particular, we consider a rational approach to their design and discuss how to realize the excellent memory devices and understand the memory mechanisms. Finally, the current challenges and several possible future research directions in this field have also been discussed.     

Risk-informed design of IRIS using a level-1 probabilistic risk assessment from its conceptual design phase

In this study, a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) for the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) has been generated to address two key areas as a part of the effort for the pre-application licensing of the IRIS design.First, the IRIS PRA is supporting the evaluation of IRIS design by providing design insights as well as a solid risk basis for the pre-licensing evaluation of the IRIS design. Second, the current PRA task is beginning the preparation of the more complete PRA analyses and documentation that will be required for Design Certification. The initial IRIS PRA is an at-power, Level-1 PRA for internal events that focuses on the evaluation of the IRIS design features to support the risk-informed design of IRIS by application of the PRA insights and the risk information to the design. To accomplish the evaluation, a reasonably complete Level-1 PRA model has been developed.The use of PRA in the early stages of the design has allowed a selection of design and performance features and an optimization of the design of several systems to reduce the potential for events that could lead to core damage via both enhanced prevention and mitigation of challenges. As a result, the total core damage frequency for internal events for the IRIS design has been calculated as 1.2×10⁻⁸ per year.     

信息推送技术在住宅性能认定系统中的应用

研究一个基于信息推送技术的住宅性能认定系统，主要内容包括信息推送技术的定义、形式和特点，从信息推送对象、内容、时间、形式四个方面分析信息推送技术在住宅性能认定系统中的应用，最后提出了基于信息推送技术的系统体系结构设计。