The chiral phase transition and the role of vacuum fluctuations

We investigate the chiral phase transition in the quark-meson effective model using optimised perturbation theory to one loop. Certain terms in the free energy are frequently omitted in calculations, on the assumption that their contribution is negligible. We show that this is not necessarily the case, and that the order of the phase transition, as well as the critical temperature, depends heavily on which contributions are included.Comment: Talk given at the IX International Conference on Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum (QCHS9), Madrid, 2010. 3 pages, 4 figure

The role of firm-level actors and system-level actors in processes of new regional industrial path development

Paper I, II, and III are not available as a part of the dissertation due to the copyright.This doctoral thesis departs from the understanding that regional industrial restructuring is important for handling challenges, such as globalisation, sustainability and digitalisation. Regional industrial restructuring can include changes in the existing industry as well as the development of completely new industries. The combination of the regional innovation system (RIS) approach and the theory on new path development, emerging from evolutionary economic geography (EEG) literature, leads to an understanding that industrial development happens within (open) regional systems. RISs consist of actors and networks that are embedded in an institutional framework. While one of the critiques of the RIS approach has been that it focuses too much on the system and not enough on its actors and their agency, the primary critique of the EEG approach is that it has an aggregated firm focus. This thesis addresses these criticisms by focusing more in-depth on the different actors within the regional innovation system and the interaction between them. One way this is done is by differentiating between firm-level actors and systemlevel actors. This research also focuses on the various ways these two groups of actors contribute, such as by building cross-industry innovation capability and through an entrepreneurial discovery process, to change the RIS and influence new industrial path development. These different paths lead to different forms of regional economic restructuring.publishedVersio

The Secret of the Bristle-Thighed Curlew

Account of an expedition on Seward Peninsula, Alaska in June 1948, sponsored by the Arctic Institute of North America and Cornell University, during which the author discovered the bird's nesting place, sought by scientists since 1785. Includes notes on the nest and description of the bird's appearance

Screened perturbation theory at four loops

We study the thermodynamics of massless phi-fourth theory using screened perturbation theory, which is a way to systematically reorganise the perturbative series. The free energy and pressure are calculated through four loops in a double expansion in powers of g^2 and m/T, where m is a thermal mass of order gT. The result is truncated at order g^7. We find that the convergence properties are significantly improved compared to the weak-coupling expansion.Comment: Talk given at Strong and Electroweak Matter 2008, Amsterdam, Aug. 25-29 2008. 4 pages, 1 figur

New regional industrial path development and innovation networks in times of economic crisis

This paper presents novel research on how exogenous shocks and economic crises affect innovation, knowledge networks, and new path development in regions. Conceptually, we take a regional innovation systems perspective which views new path development as the outcome of innovation and knowledge exchange between firms and other actors, facilitated by a common institutional framework. Empirically, we draw on interviews and network data from the oil and gas industry in southern Norway. Following a long period of prosperity, the industry was hit by the oil price shock in 2014 and entered an economic crisis. The findings suggest that the shock triggered the firms to commit even more forcefully to innovation and to expand their knowledge networks geographically. To cope with the crisis, they applied a variety of strategies, which can be associated with different forms of path development. We draw conclusions for innovation policy in the context of exogenous shocks and crises.New Regional Industrial Path Development and Innovation Networks in Times of Economic CrisispublishedVersio

Inhabilitet i kommuner hvor "alle kjenner alle". Har innbyggertallet i en kommune betydning for anvendelsen av de materielle vilkår for inhabilitet?

I forbindelse med avgjørelser som tas på kommunalt nivå, vil man i en liten kommune med få innbyggere kunne støte på problematikken "alle kjenner alle". I et samfunn hvor "alle kjenner alle", kan det bli en utfordring å praktisere habilitetsreglene. Dette er fordi det oftere forekommer nære relasjoner i sakene som behandles, enn i en større kommune. Man har heller ikke samme mulighet og kapasitet til å sette inn en stedfortreder for den som blir erklært inhabil i en liten kommune. Temaet for oppgaven er inhabilitet i kommuner med få innbyggere, hvor man langt på vei kan si at "alle kjenner alle", og problemstillingen er hvorvidt innbyggertall i en kommune har betydning for anvendelsen av de materielle vilkår for inhabilitet.Master i rettsvitenskapJUS399MAJU

Effects of Cannabidiol Cream on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Cannabidiol is used for treating anxiety (Bertoglio, Day, Gulmaraes, Jurkus, Lee, & Stevenson, 2016), reducing epileptic seizures (FDA, 2018), as well as reducing inflammation (Zurier, 2003). Limited clinical evidence, however, has been provided to support the therapeutic use of cannabinoids in skeletal inflammation despite the promising preclinical data (Bura, Maldonado, Negrete, & La Porta, 2014). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore the use of Cannabidiol (CBD) cream and its effectiveness to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). METHODS: Thirteen participants (Age = 25±3.8 yrs, height = 164.3±11.0 cm, weight = 77.5±27.1 kg) performed two sets of squats to exhaustion; one with weight (5lbs for women and 8lbs for men) and one without weight in order to induce DOMS. Cannabidiol cream was then applied generously in a circular motion for 15 seconds until evenly spread on one anterior thigh (specifically the quadriceps area) and a placebo on the other. Both legs were wiped clean after 10 minutes. Participants rated their pain 24 and 48 hours after using a 0-10 pain assessment tool. Data was analyzed using a repeated measure ANOVA to assess pain differences. Alpha was set at .05. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in DOMS between the legs across time points, F(3, 10) = 2.17, p = 0.15. There was also no significant difference in DOMS after combining the time points, t(12) = .779, p = 0.45. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference suggests that the CBD cream had no effect on delayed onset muscle soreness. Future studies should isolate muscles and have multiple cream applications to further explore its effectiveness