Employee Representatives on Company Boards – Hostages, Renegades or Fierce Opponents?

Members of company boards in Scandinavia are legally obliged to act in accordance with the interests of the company. How to interpret this obligation has been on the agenda ever since the employees were given the right to elect their own board members in the early 1970s. This article, based on data from a European survey among board-level employee representatives (BLERs), compares Swedish and Norwegian BLERs and asks whether the conflict between the company’s interests and the employees’ interests (still) constitutes a predicament? The analysis indicates that this alleged conflict belongs to the initial debate and that it is less relevant to the current BLERs. The differing election principles in Sweden (BLERs are appointed by the local trade unions) and Norway (BLERs are elected by all the employees in the company) do not alter this conclusion

Faith as Participation: An Exegetical Study of Some Key Pauline Texts

This thesis explores the Pauline conception of faith in 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Galatians. While most studies on this topic focus attention on Galatians and Romans, this thesis begins in letters less commonly explored while also looking beyond the word πίστις to explore conceptual cognates. By expanding the framework in these two ways, this study elucidates disputed passages in Galatians, while casting fresh light on significant debates in Pauline theology. The introductory chapter sets the discussion of faith in the context of contemporary debates on the centre of Pauline theology, the πίστις Χριστοῦ formula, and the relation between divine and human agency. In three chapters on 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians, respectively, we observe that faith, for Paul, is at once both self-negating and self-involving dependence on Christ. As a surrender to God, it is an active and productive mode of existence. In chapters five and six, on Galatians 2 and Galatians 3–6, we test this definition of faith in a number of important and contested texts, which as a result, elucidates three significant Pauline debates. First, we discover that Paul connects faith to both the concept of participation and the doctrine of justification; faith is an ongoing state of participatory dependence in the Christ-mediated process of salvation, not simply the entry point of justification. Secondly, on the interpretation of πίστις Χριστοῦ, the objective genitive is read in a way that preserves the theological priorities of those who advocate the subjective genitive reading while also conveying the vital role of human faith in Pauline theology. Finally, on questions of agency, we discover that divine and human agency cannot be reduced to a competitive relationship; God’s activity grounds and enables human activity as the believer unites himself or herself in a dependent relationship to Christ. In conclusion, several of the apparent conundrums in recent Pauline scholarship turn out to derive from an inadequate understanding of what Paul means by faith, which is the mode of self-negating participation in the prior gracious work of Christ

On the Classification of UGC1382 as a Giant Low Surface Brightness Galaxy

We provide evidence that UGC1382, long believed to be a passive elliptical galaxy, is actually a giant low surface brightness (GLSB) galaxy which rivals the archetypical GLSB Malin 1 in size. Like other GLSB galaxies, it has two components: a high surface brightness disk galaxy surrounded by an extended low surface brightness (LSB) disk. For UGC1382, the central component is a lenticular system with an effective radius of 6 kpc. Beyond this, the LSB disk has an effective radius of ~38 kpc and an extrapolated central surface brightness of ~26 mag/arcsec^2. Both components have a combined stellar mass of ~8x10^10 M_sun, and are embedded in a massive (10^10 M_sun) low-density (<3 M_sun/pc^2) HI disk with a radius of 110 kpc, making this one of the largest isolated disk galaxies known. The system resides in a massive dark matter halo of at least 2x10^12 M_sun. Although possibly part of a small group, its low density environment likely plays a role in the formation and retention of the giant LSB and HI disks. We model the spectral energy distributions and find that the LSB disk is likely older than the lenticular component. UGC1382 has UV-optical colors typical of galaxies transitioning through the green valley. Within the LSB disk are spiral arms forming stars at extremely low efficiencies. The gas depletion time scale of ~10^11 yr suggests that UGC1382 may be a very long term resident of the green valley. We find that the formation and evolution of the LSB disk is best explained by the accretion of gas-rich LSB dwarf galaxies.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figures, 4 tables; accepted to the Astrophysical Journa

Guidelines to Select Between Self-Contained Electro-Hydraulic and Electro-Mechanical Cylinders

Author's accepted manuscript.acceptedVersio

Changes in the fatty acid composition of brown shrimp, Crangon crangon, after boiling

Brown shrimp, Crangon crangon (L.), is the most valuable target of coastal fisheries in the southern North Sea. Annual landings exceeded 30,000 tons in the last decade, yielding up to 100 Mio Euro. The shrimp are boiled immediately after capture onboard the fishing vessel for preservation and easy peeling. After landing, the shrimp are collected by traders and exported for manual peeling. Only the muscle of the pleon is returned and sold as regional delicacy. The remains, comprising the cephalothorax, the shell of the pleon, and, in case, adhering eggs, account for up to 70% of the total body mass. This potential resource, for example as aquaculture feed, has not yet been considered for exploitation. In this respect, the fatty acid (FA) profile and the share of essential FAs are crucial quality factors. Since boiling alters the quality of shrimp, this study evaluates changes in the FA composition of shrimp muscle and remains by comparing frozen and boiled samples. Major FAs in C. crangon were the saturated palmitic acid (PA, 16:0), accounting for 16.6%–19.1% of total fatty acids (TFAs), and the long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LC-PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5(n-3), 16.1–21.6%TFA ) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6(n-3), 11.5–13.6%TFA ). Frozen muscle and frozen remains showed similar FA profiles. Boiling changed the FA profile. PA, EPA, and DHA decreased by up to 25%, whereas palmitoleic acid 16:1(n-7) and oleic acid 18:1(n-9) increased by 2% to 3% each. Boiled muscle and boiled remains showed similar FA profiles. Despite the loss of FAs, the boiled shrimp remains are suggested to be a suitable PUFA supplement for aquaculture feeds, deserving further investigation

Spectroelectrochemical cell for in situ studies of solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are able to produce electricity and heat from hydrogen- or carbon-containing fuels with high efficiencies and are considered important cornerstones for future sustainable energy systems. Performance, activation and degradation processes are crucial parameters to control before the technology can achieve breakthrough. They have been widely studied, predominately by electrochemical testing with subsequent micro-structural analysis. In order to be able to develop better SOFCs, it is important to understand how the measured electrochemical performance depends on materials and structural properties, preferably at the atomic level. A characterization of these properties under operation is desired. As SOFCs operate at temperatures around 1073 K, this is a challenge. A spectroelectrochemical cell was designed that is able to study SOFCs at operating temperatures and in the presence of relevant gases. Simultaneous spectroscopic and electrochemical evaluation by using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is possible

The role of the voluntary sector for the integration of immigrant women : a case study of the Volunteer Central in Vennesla, Norway

Master's thesis Global development and planning UT505 - University of Agder 2017This thesis explores the role of the Volunteer Central in integration work of immigrant women in Vennesla in Norway, according to subjective experiences of immigrant women and impressions of Norwegian women connected to the organization. The findings are based on a six weeks long field work from February and March 2017. Qualitative methods were employed in the study: ten semi-structured interviews and participant observation in multiple activities. This research is important due to the increased immigration to Norway in recent years, and the challenges it brings with it in terms of integration. Since the voluntary sector has become important in the integration processes of immigrants, it is beneficial and relevant to look at a specific voluntary organization. The thesis show that Volunteer Central in Vennesla contributes positively and significantly to immigrant women’s well-being, social needs and positive experiences in daily life. In Vennesla, the organization does many good and right things. Although they have some challenges – i.e. language barrier, transportation and distance issues, limitations of the volunteers – and they do not target immigrant women as a group, my informants experience numerous benefits from their offers. The activities arranged by this organization are open to Norwegians and immigrants alike. My immigrant informants are highly satisfied with the activities they attend. Their main motivations for and benefits from attending are: learning the language better, meeting people and getting friends, having fun, and understanding Norwegians and Norwegian culture better. There are different understandings of integration both in the literature and from my material, but in the discussion of the thesis three aspects of integration are in focus: shared arenas (meeting places), social capital (bridging and bonding), and ‘the right to be different’ and ‘the right to be same’. These are interrelated to each other, and the Volunteer Central facilitates well for each of them. Some central persons in the organization are analyzed according to the concept of gate-keepers, and are clearly important to several immigrant women. Lastly, the expressions of Norwegian women and immigrant women are linked to the concept of culturalization. This refers to a process where one (unconsciously) emphasize cultural aspects at the expense of other factors, and as such has a one-dimensional, reductionist view of an issue, problem, social group or individual. It is easy to fall into such a trap when we belong to the majority and are in contact with minority women. However, it can be beneficial to avoid seeing individuals as representations of their culture. I have not discovered the best understanding of integration. However, I find that in an increasing multicultural society like Norway – and Vennesla – it is valuable and beneficial to have and accept several different understandings. Moreover, it is healthy and good to see that integration is a process happening between the majority and the minorities where all parties have a responsibility

Comparing stress, areas of stress and coping-strategies between distance-learning and on-campus students – A mixed-methods approach

In recent years, the increase in stress experienced by students, and the related health problems have become a key challenge for health psychologists. The aim of this cross-sectional survey study was to compare stress, areas of stress and coping-strategies of 246 distance-learning (81.7% female; 33.62 years, SD = 9.30) and 254 on-campus students (82.3% female; 24.23 years, SD = 3.99). One-way analyses of variance showed no significant differences in perceived stress and stress symptoms between the student groups. Stress-inducing areas were revealed by qualitative content analysis. Chi-square tests showed that on-campus students significantly more often reported study- and performance-related areas, whereas conflicts between work and private life were more present among distance-learning students. Results also indicated that on-campus students significantly more often cope with stress by means of social support. These findings may help tailoring stress-management interventions for different student groups