Lessons Learned From Industrial Applications of Automated Trucks for Deployment on Public Roads: Article

Automated trucks may streamline road freight. While manufacturers and technology developers have long predicted their advent, technical and regulatory challenges persist, and systems beyond SAE level 2 are rare. However, systems at levels 3 and 4 are being adopted on industrial areas. Roads authorities want to study such applications to gain insights into requirements for implementing automated trucks on public roads. Two cases were studied here: Automated stone haulage (1), and automated snow removal (2). Interviews with project managers were used to identify opportunities and barriers, and evaluate the applicability of different technical and organizational solutions, for implementing automated trucks on public roads. Road and winter maintenance are explored, outlining the strengths and vulnerabilities of automated driving systems, and how other adaptations can overcome them. Requirements for pre-mapping, localization and communication are also elaborated. Considerations on control and oversight, and on automation as an enabler for electrification are explored, alongside the importance of change management procedures

Operational and Infrastructure Readiness for Semi-Automated Truck Platoons on Rural Roads: Article

On highways, truck platooning may reduce fuel consumption, improve road safety and streamline trucking operations. However, most roads worldwide are two-way, two-lane rural roads, i.e., conditions for which truck platooning should be tested to explore the extent of those advantages. This paper reports findings from a field study undertaken in Northern Norway, testing a platoon of three semi-automated trucks on rural roads with tunnels, mountain passes and adverse geometries. Fleet management and distance data, videos, interviews and conversations between participants were used to assess whether platooning was feasible on such roads. The platooning system was used without interventions through most road conditions, and worked well on flat and wide roads with 90 km/h speed limits. However, it struggled in sharp horizontal curves, where the following trucks would speed up before regaining connection to their preceding truck and then brake abruptly to regain the prescribed distance. Moreover, steep uphills were problematic due to inconsistent gear shifting between the trucks. Seemingly, no fuel savings were achieved, due to excessive following distances and suboptimal speed profiles on crest curves. To obtain further insights into the benefits of truck platooning on rural roads, we suggest redoing the field study with V2V-communication, allowing for shorter following distances, and also performing a manual-driven baseline first

Opportunities and Barriers for Truck Platooning on Norwegian Rural Freight Routes

acceptedVersio

Association of prescribed opioid use between mother and child – a record-linkage study

Dette er forfatters versjon av artikkelen. Forlagets publiserte versjon finnes på http://link.springer.comRepeated use of prescribed opioids may lead to serious side effects, and it is important to examine risk factors for repeated use. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal use of prescribed opioids and the use of prescribed opioids by their offspring. Data were drawn from two nationwide registers linked by the unique person identity numbers: the Norwegian Population and Housing Census in 2001 and the Norwegian Prescription Database (2004-2009). The study population consisted of 97,574 adolescents aged 15-16 years in 2001 and their mothers. Repeated use of opioids was defined as filling 4+ and 15+ prescriptions during 2004-2009 by the offspring and mothers, respectively. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not potentially addictive, and were used as a reference analgesic drug group. The proportion of repeated users were higher among individuals whose mothers were registered with repeated use of opioids (8.4 %) compared to those with mothers without repeated use (2.4 %). Odds ratio was 3.1 (95% CI 2.7-3.6) when adjusted for mothers socioeconomic characteristics and the gender of the offspring. Low maternal socio-economic status increased the risk of repeated opioid use among their offspring. Maternal repeated use of NSAIDs increased the likelihood of repeated use of NSAIDs among offspring OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.7 – 2.0)

Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors – Validity of Self-Report versus Plasma Concentrations and Pharmacy Dispensations – A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study

Purpose: To validate self-reported current use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in the Norwegian Women and Cancer study (NOWAC) and to identify factors associated with discordance between data sources. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional record-linkage study comparing SSRI-use derived from four data sources: 1) Specific SSRI questions in the main NOWAC questionnaire, 2) Open questions on medication use in the small questionnaire following blood samples, 3) plasma concentration measurements for a subsample, and 4) pharmacy dispensations from the Norwegian prescription database (NorPD) where current use of SSRI was defined by Legend Time Duration (LTD). Among 105 855 women, aged 46 to 64 years and randomly selected from the general population, 70,191 had data on SSRI-use from both NOWAC and NorPD. Plasma concentration was measured for 93 pairs of self-reported SSRI-users and non-users, with dispensation data available for 68 pairs. Validity was assessed by sensitivity and specificity; agreement was assessed by Cohen’s kappa. Factors associated with discordance between information sources were analyzed by multiple binary logistic regression. Results: We found high sensitivity (89.5%) and specificity (98.7%) for the specific questions in the main questionnaire compared with pharmacy dispensations. Measured against plasma concentrations, current SSRI-use defined by open questions and pharmacy dispensations both had high sensitivity (100% and 92.5%, respectively) and specificity (98.6% both). Agreements (kappa) were similarly high for all comparisons (≥0.80). The factors associated with discordance between data sources included poor health, comorbidity, being single and not being in full time work. Education was inversely associated with discordance. Conclusion: Self-reported current use of SSRI from the NOWAC questionnaires is highly valid and, according to plasma concentrations, perhaps even more so than pharmacy dispensations. Factors associated with discordance between information sources should be taken into account in the interpretation of future analyses which include SSRI-use in the NOWAC study

Dispensing of prescribed analgesics in Norway among young people with foreign-or Norwegian-born parents

Abstract Purpose To examine and compare dispensing of prescribed analgesics between young people with parents from countries with a Muslim majority and those with parents born in Norway. Methods Our study-population constituted 11,542 adolescents from the Norwegian Youth Health Surveys conducted in 2000–2003. Users and non-users of prescribed analgesics at baseline were analysed separately. Self-reported information on their parents’ birth country was used to classify them into one of the three predefined groups: Norway, countries with a Muslim majority or others. To study and compare dispensing of prescribed analgesics, data from the youth surveys were linked to the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD) 2004–2007. Dispensed analgesics studied were antiinflammatory and antirheumatic products (non-steroid), opioids and other analgesics and antipyretics. Results Among non-users of prescribed analgesics at baseline, 34% of all males with parents born in Norway received prescribed analgesics at least once during 2004–2007, compared to 36% in the group with parents from countries with a Muslim majority. The proportions of females receiving prescribed analgesics were about 44% in both of the two previously mentioned groups. Among users of prescribed analgesics at baseline, the proportion of individuals who were dispensed prescribed analgesics in 2004–2007 was generally higher than for those that were non-users at baseline. Both males and females with parents from countries with a Muslim majority reported more pain compared to those with parents born in Norway. No statistical differences were detected between participants with parents from countries with a Muslim majority compared to those with parents born in Norway in terms of prescribed analgesics dispensed or total amount of analgesics dispensed in 2004–2007. For the dispensing of all analgesics in 2004–2007 the adjusted OR for having parents from countries with a Muslim majority compared to parents born in Norway was 1.02 (0.87–1.21) among non-users of prescribed analgesics at baseline and 0.82 (0.57–1.16) among users. Conclusions There were no differences in the dispensing of prescribed analgesics between young people with parents born in countries with a Muslim majority and those with parents born in Norway. Nor did the amount of prescribed analgesics differ between these groups. </jats:sec

Association of prescribed opioid use between mother and child – a record-linkage study

Repeated use of prescribed opioids may lead to serious side effects, and it is important to examine risk factors for repeated use. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between maternal use of prescribed opioids and the use of prescribed opioids by their offspring. Data were drawn from two nationwide registers linked by the unique person identity numbers: the Norwegian Population and Housing Census in 2001 and the Norwegian Prescription Database (2004-2009). The study population consisted of 97,574 adolescents aged 15-16 years in 2001 and their mothers. Repeated use of opioids was defined as filling 4+ and 15+ prescriptions during 2004-2009 by the offspring and mothers, respectively. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are not potentially addictive, and were used as a reference analgesic drug group. The proportion of repeated users were higher among individuals whose mothers were registered with repeated use of opioids (8.4 %) compared to those with mothers without repeated use (2.4 %). Odds ratio was 3.1 (95% CI 2.7-3.6) when adjusted for mothers socioeconomic characteristics and the gender of the offspring. Low maternal socio-economic status increased the risk of repeated opioid use among their offspring. Maternal repeated use of NSAIDs increased the likelihood of repeated use of NSAIDs among offspring OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.7 – 2.0)

Using Low-Cost Radar Sensors and Action Cameras to Measure Inter-Vehicle Distances in Real-World Truck Platooning

Many modern vehicles collect inter-vehicle distance data from radar sensors as input to driver assistance systems. However, vehicle manufacturers often use proprietary algorithms to conceal the collected data, making them inaccessible to external individuals, such as researchers. Aftermarket sensors may circumvent this issue. This study investigated the use of low-cost radar sensors to determine inter-vehicle distances during real-world semi-automated truck platooning on two-way, two-lane rural roads. Radar data from the two follower trucks in a three-truck platoon were collected, synchronized and filtered. The sensors measured distance, relative velocity and signal-to-noise ratio. Dashboard camera footage was collected, coded and synchronized to the radar data, providing context about the driving situation, such as oncoming trucks, roundabouts and tunnels. The sensors had different configuration parameters, suggested by the supplier, to avoid signal interference. With parameters as chosen, sensor ranges, inferred from maximum distance measurements, were approximately 74 and 71 m. These values were almost on par with theoretical calculations. The sensors captured the preceding truck for 83–85% of the time where they had the preceding truck within range, and 95–96% of the time in tunnels. While roundabouts are problematic, the sensors are feasible for collecting inter-vehicle distance data during truck platooning