I gränslandet mellan aktiebolags- och obligationsrätt - En principiell analys av aktieägaravtalets rättsverkningar i ljuset av den aktiebolagsrättsliga separationsprincipen

Aktieägaravtal är mycket vanligt förekommande i svenska privata aktiebolag. Avtalsformen är sprungen ur det praktiska rättslivet och saknar legaldefinition. Avtalen ger aktieägare möjlighet att värna om ägarintressen som avviker från ABLs värdemonistiska syn på aktiebolag som kapitalassociationer med rent vinstmaximeringssyfte. Det utbredda användandet av aktieägaravtal blottlägger den diskrepans som råder mellan ABLs syn på aktiebolagets funktion, och den roll som aktiebolag i realiteten ofta spelar. Traditionellt uppfattas obligations- och aktiebolagsrätten som två inbördes autonoma rättsområden. Autonomiföreställningen har resulterat i att man brukar skilja mellan aktieägaravtals obligations- och aktiebolagsrättsliga rättsverkningar. Aktieägaravtals aktiebolagsrättsliga effekt kan sammanfattas med hjälp av den aktiebolagsrättsliga separationsprincipen, som trots att den inte är lagstadgad anses utgöra gällande rätt. Principen stadgar att avtal aldrig i frånvaro av lagstöd medför aktiebolagsrättsliga verkningar. Principens innebörd och tillämpningsomfång har länge debatteras. Dess grundläggande premiss är en tydlig avgränsning av aktiebolagsrätten som självständigt rättsområde, men ifråga om hur denna avgränsning ska ske råder oenighet. Två huvudsakliga alternativ debatteras i rättsvetenskapen: det första låter ABL verka avgränsande för aktiebolagsrätten; det andra alternativet avgränsar aktiebolagsrätten till att uteslutande omfatta aktiebolagets inre rättsförhållanden. Uppsatsen finner att den restriktiva avgränsningen genererar mer ändamålsenliga rättsverkningar och därför bör tillämpas. På vissa håll har det diskuterats om avtal under de rätta förutsättningarna bör ges aktiebolagsrättslig verkan. De lege lata erkänns inga sådana undantag från den aktiebolagsrättsliga separationsprincipen. De lege ferenda går det däremot att finna skäl som talar för en liberalisering av rätten i denna aspekt. Jag anser dock att fördelarna med en eventuell liberalisering inte överväger nackdelarna och att den aktiebolagsrättsliga separationsprincipen därför bör vara undantagslös även i framtiden. Osäkerheten som omgärdar den aktiebolagsrättsliga separationsprincipen renderar aktieägaravtals rättsverkningar oklara. För att råda bot på detta bör principen kodifieras i enlighet med dess rådande lydelse. Kodifieringen kompletteras lämpligen med en legaldefinition av begreppet aktiebolagsrättsliga verkningar. Principens tillämpningsområde kommer då slutgiltigt att knytas till de normer som förfogar över bolagets inre rättsförhållande. Den föreslagna kodifieringen kommer att bringa klarhet i aktieägaravtals bolagsrättsliga verkningar. Klargörandet kommer i sin tur att öka möjligheten till långsiktighet och förutsebarhet i aktieägares samverkan.Shareholder agreements are commonly used in Swedish limited companies. This is a type of contract that has evolved without any involvement from the legislator, and therefore lacks a legal definition. The contracts allow for the protection of shareholders' interests when they deviate from the monistic notion of the Swedish Companies Act, which states that limited companies are pure capitalist firms with the sole interest of profit maximization. The existence of shareholders agreements exposes the discrepancy between the stereotypical image of limited companies inherent in Swedish company law and the fact that, in reality, companies frequently do not adhere to this image. Traditionally Swedish law contains a fundamental idea of separation between company law and contract law. The two areas of law are considered mutually autonomous; hence the effects of shareholders agreements in contract law and corporate law are generally separated. Shareholder agreements are only given company law effects when statutory law provides explicit legal support; a concept referred to as the separation principle. Although lacking explicit statutory legal support, the principle constitutes law. The scope of the principle has been disputed. Some claim that the principle should be interpreted as including everything that is dealt with by the Swedish Companies Act, while others claim that its scope only covers a company’s internal legal relations. This paper hypothesizes that, when considered an independent legal field, company law exclusively includes the company’s internal legal relations. Such a distinction generates more appropriate legal consequences, and thus the restrictive interpretation of the principle applies. Some scholars have argued that under certain circumstances shareholders agreements should have company law effects outside of those explicitly prescribed in statutory law. However there is no support for this view and de lege lata Swedish law does not permit any exceptions to the separation principle. De lege ferenda on the other hand – an argument could be made that such a liberalization of company law might be desirable. The author of this essay however believes that the benefits of liberalization would not outweigh the disadvantages, and that the separation principle therefore should remain absolute. The uncertainty surrounding the company law separation principle makes the legal effect of shareholder agreements unclear. In order to remedy this, the separation principle should be codified in accordance with its current wording. The codification should be accompanied by a legal definition, defining company law in relation to the principle as exclusively including the company´s internal legal relation. Through a codification the separation principle’s scope will be exclusively linked to the company’s internal legal relations. The proposed codification would bring clarity to the corporate impact of various shareholder agreements; and expand the possibility of shareholders to implement predictability in their collaboration

A major forest insect pest, the pine weevil Hylobius abietis, is more susceptible to Diptera- than Coleoptera-targeted Bacillus thuringiensis strains

BACKGROUND The pine weevil (Hylobius abietis) is a major forest regeneration pest causing high levels of seedling mortality and economic losses. Current management relies on silviculture, stem coatings and insecticides. Here we evaluated for the first time the effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains on H. abietis adults: two producing the Coleoptera-targeted toxins Cry3Aa (Bt tenebrionis NB-176) and Cry8Da (Bt galleriae SDS-502), and one producing the Diptera-targeted Cry10A (Bt israelensis AM65-52). Choice and nonchoice assays using individual and mixtures of Bt formulations, containing these strains respectively, were conducted.RESULTS We found that Bt had toxic and lethal effects on H. abietis, but effects varied with strain and formulation concentration. The Diptera-targeted Bt israelensis had the most negative effects on weevil weight, feeding and mortality (70-82% feeding reduction, 65-82% greater mortality than control), whereas the effect was lower for the Coleoptera-specific Bt tenebrionis (38-42%; 37-42%) and Bt galleriae (11-30%; 15-32%). Reduced weevil feeding was observed after 3 days, and the highest mortality occurred 7-14 days following Bt exposure. However, we found no synergistic toxic effects, and no formulation combination was better than Bt israelensis alone at reducing consumption and survival. Also, pine weevils were not deterred by Bt, feeding equally on Bt-treated and non-Bt treated food.CONCLUSION There is potential to develop forest pest management measures against H. abietis that include Bt, but only the Diptera-targeted Bt israelensis would provide effective seedling protection. Its Diptera-specificity may need reconsideration, and evaluation of other Bt strains/toxins against H. abietis would be of interest

Electricity from solar cells powers the comfort cooling in Staben

Staben is a building in Uppsala Science Park owned by Vasakronan. During 2013, Staben was renovated and a new air conditioning system was installed. The main components of the air conditioning system are three circulation pumps which require electricity. It is desired by Vasakronan to supply this electric power in a way that is environmentally friendly. Therefore, the possibilities of operating the cooling system of Staben using solar power have been examined in this study. To determine an appropriate size of the solar-cell facility, simulations and calculations were performed. The simulations were based on factors such as outside temperature, insolation and the electric power consumption of Staben. In addition to the simulation, an analysis of insolation and outside temperature was performed to validate the correlation between those two factors. The results of the simulations were validated through calculations and use of PVGIS, a computer program specialized in calculating electric production of solar cells. According to the simulations an appropriate size of the solar-cell facility to operate the cooling system would be 3 kW rated power. This way, no electric power is sold to the grid. The investment of a 3 kW solar-cell facility will cost approximately 70 000 SEK, which results in a pay-back time between 10 and 15 years.Uppsala Science Park ägs och förvaltas av fastighetsbolaget Vasakronan. 2013 renoverades kontorslokalen Staben och har sedan dess komfortkyla. Kylsystemet drivs idag med elkraft från elnätet, men i denna studie har möjligheten att driva systemet med solceller utretts eftersom detta ger Staben ett egenförsörjande och ett miljövänligt kylsystem. Även kostnad och återbetalningstid undersöktes för att ge en bild av hur rimligt det vore att driva komfortkylan med en solcellsanläggning. För att undersöka hur stor märkeffekt som behövs för att täcka driftbehovet hos kylsystemet utfördes simuleringar. Simuleringarna baserades på utomhustemperatur, solinstrålning och Stabens elkraftförbrukning. Vidare undersöktes data för solinstrålning och utomhustemperatur för att kvantifiera ett samband dessa förmodades ha. Simuleringens resultat validerades med hjälp av beräkningar och PVGIS, ett program som räknar ut energiproduktionen från solcellsanläggningar. Enligt simuleringarna behövde solcellsanläggningen ha en installerad effekt på 3 kW för att täcka kylsystemets elförbrukning på årsbasis. Eftersom kylsystemet även är i drift nattetid och solcellerna endast producerade elkraft dagtid fanns inga ekonomiskt lämpliga möjligheter att täcka kylssytemets effektbehov med enbart elkraft från solceller. Valideringsberäkningen baserad på PVGIS gav att den installerade effekten blev 3,8 kW. Grundinvesteringen för solcellsanläggningen beräknades till 70 000 SEK för en 3 kW-anläggning. Med en sådan storlek på anläggningen uppstod inget överskott av elkraft, vilket innebär att all elkraft förbrukas i Staben. Återbetalningstiden blev mellan 10 och 15 år beroende på huruvida bidrag för solceller erhölls samt hur elpriset utvecklas i framtiden

Oxidative Cleavage of Cellobiose by Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenase (LPMO)-Inspired Copper Complexes

Correction published on October 23, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.0c04910The potentially tridentate ligand bis[(1-methyl-2-benzimidazolyl)ethyl]amine (2BB) was employed to prepare copper complexes [(2BB)CuI]OTf and [(2BB)CuII(H2O)2](OTf)2 as bioinspired models of lytic polysaccharide copper-dependent monooxygenase (LPMO) enzymes. Solid-state characterization of [(2BB)CuI]OTf revealed a Cu(I) center with a T-shaped coordination environment and metric parameters in the range of those observed in reduced LPMOs. Solution characterization of [(2BB)CuII(H2O)2](OTf)2 indicates that [(2BB)CuII(H2O)2]2+ is the main species from pH 4 to 7.5; above pH 7.5, the hydroxo-bridged species [{(2BB)CuII(H2O)x}2(μ-OH)2]2+ is also present, on the basis of cyclic voltammetry and mass spectrometry. These observations imply that deprotonation of the central amine of Cu(II)-coordinated 2BB is precluded, and by extension, amine deprotonation in the histidine brace of LPMOs appears unlikely at neutral pH. The complexes [(2BB)CuI]OTf and [(2BB)CuII(H2O)2](OTf)2 act as precursors for the oxidative degradation of cellobiose as a cellulose model substrate. Spectroscopic and reactivity studies indicate that a dicopper(II) side-on peroxide complex generated from [(2BB)CuI]OTf/O2 or [(2BB)CuII(H2O)2](OTf)2/H2O2/NEt3 oxidizes cellobiose both in acetonitrile and aqueous phosphate buffer solutions, as evidenced from product analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The mixture of [(2BB)CuII(H2O)2](OTf)2/H2O2/NEt3 results in more extensive cellobiose degradation. Likewise, the use of both [(2BB)CuI]OTf and [(2BB)CuII(H2O)2](OTf)2 with KO2 afforded cellobiose oxidation products. In all cases, a common Cu(II) complex formulated as [(2BB)CuII(OH)(H2O)]+ was detected by mass spectrometry as the final form of the complex

Keck HIRES spectroscopy of SkyMapper commissioning survey candidate extremely metal-poor stars

We present results from the analysis of high-resolution spectra obtained with the Keck HIRES spectrograph for a sample of 17 candidate extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars originally selected from commissioning data obtained with the SkyMapper telescope. Fourteen of the stars have not been observed previously at high dispersion. Three have [Fe/H] ≤ −3.0, while the remainder, with two more metal-rich exceptions, have −3.0 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ −2.0 dex. Apart from Fe, we also derive abundances for the elements C, N, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Zn, and for n-capture elements Sr, Ba, and Eu. None of the current sample of stars is found to be carbon-rich. In general, our chemical abundances follow previous trends found in the literature, although we note that two of the most metal-poor stars show very low [Ba/Fe] (∼−1.7) coupled with low [Sr/Ba] (∼−0.3). Such stars are relatively rare in the Galactic halo. One further star, and possibly two others, meet the criteria for classification as a r-I star. This study, together with that of Jacobson et al. (2015), completes the outcomes of the SkyMapper commissioning data survey for EMP stars.SkyMapper research on EMP stars has been supported in part through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grant programs DP120101237 and DP150103294 (Lead-CI Da Costa). A. F. M., A. R. C., and A. D. M. have been in part supported by ARC through the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award DE160100851, the Discovery Project DP160100637, and the Future Fellowship FT160100206, respectively. M. A. gratefully acknowledges generous funding from an ARC Laureate Fellowship (grant FL110100012). Parts of this research were conducted under the auspices of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), which is supported through project number CE170100013. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie SkłodowskaCurie Grant Agreement No. (797100; Beneficiary: A. F. M.). The national facility capability for SkyMapper has been funded through ARC LIEF grant LE130100104 from the Australian Research Council, awarded to the University of Sydney, the Australian National University, Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of Melbourne, Curtin University of Technology, Monash University, and the Australian Astronomical Observator

The lowest detected stellar Fe abundance: the halo star SMSS J160540.18-144323.1

We report the discovery of SMSS J160540.18−144323.1, a new ultra metal-poor halo star discovered with the SkyMapper telescope. We measure [Fe/H] = −6.2 ± 0.2 (1D LTE), the lowest ever detected abundance of iron in a star. The star is strongly carbonenhanced, [C/Fe] = 3.9 ± 0.2, while other abundances are compatible with an α-enhanced solar-like pattern with [Ca/Fe] = 0.4 ± 0.2, Mg/Fe = 0.6 ± 0.2, [Ti/Fe] = 0.8 ± 0.2, and no significant s- or r-process enrichment, [Sr/Fe] < 0.2 and [Ba/Fe] < 1.0 (3σ limits). Population III stars exploding as fallback supernovae may explain both the strong carbon enhancement and the apparent lack of enhancement of odd-Z and neutron-capture element abundances. Grids of supernova models computed for metal-free progenitor stars yield good matches for stars of about 10 M imparting a low kinetic energy on the supernova ejecta, while models for stars more massive than roughly 20 M are incompatible with the observed abundance pattern.Parts of this research were conducted by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), through project number CE170100013. Research on extremely metal-poor stars has been supported in part through Australian Research Council Discovery Grant Program DP150103294 (GSDC, MSB, and BPS). ARC is supported in part by Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP160100637. ADM is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT160100206). The national facility capability for SkyMapper has been funded through ARC LIEF grant LE130100104 from the Australian Research Council, awarded to the University of Sydney, the Australian National University, Swinburne University of Technology, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of Melbourne, Curtin University of Technology, Monash University and the Australian Astronomical Observatory

MOLNUPIRAVIR COMPARED TO NIRMATRELVIR/RITONAVIR FOR COVID-19 IN HIGH-RISK PATIENTS WITH HAEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCY IN EUROPE. A MATCHED-PAIRED ANALYSIS FROM THE EPICOVIDEHA REGISTRY

Introduction: Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir are antivirals used to prevent progression to severe SARS-CoV-2 infections, which reduce both hospitalization and mortality rates. Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir was authorised in Europe in December 2021, while molnupiravir is not yet licensed in Europe as of February 2022. Molnupiravir may be an alternative to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, because it displays less frequent drug-drug interactions and contraindications. A caveat connected to molnupiravir derives from the mode of action inducing viral mutations. In clinical trials on patients without haematological malignancy, mortality rate reduction of molnupiravir appeared less pronounced than that of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Little is known about the comparative efficacy of the two drugs in patients with haematological malignancy at high-risk of severe COVID-19. Thus, we here assess the effectiveness of molnupiravir compared to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in our cohort of patients with haematological malignancies. Methods: Clinical data of patients treated either with molnupiravir or nirmatrelvir/ritonavir monotherapy for COVID-19 were retrieved from the EPICOVIDEHA registry. Patients treated with molnupiravir were matched by sex, age (±10 years), and baseline haematological malignancy severity to controls treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Results: A total of 116 patients receiving molnupiravir for the clinical management of COVID-19 were matched to an equal number of controls receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. In each of the groups, 68 (59%) patients were male; with a median age of 64 years (IQR 53-74) for molnupiravir recipients and 64 years (IQR 54-73) for nirmatrelvir/ritonavir recipients; 57% (n=66) of the patients had controlled baseline haematological malignancy, 13% (n=15) stable, and 30% (n=35) had active disease at COVID-19 onset in each of the groups. During COVID-19 infection, one third of patients from each group were admitted to hospital. Although a similar proportion of vaccinated patients was observed in both groups (molnupiravir n=77, 66% vs nirmatrelvir/ritonavir n=87, 75%), those treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir had more often received four doses (n=27, 23%) as compared to patients treated with molnupiravir (n=5, 4%, p&lt;0.001). No differences were detected in COVID-19 severity (p=0.39) or hospitalization (p=1.0). No statistically significant differences were identified in overall mortality rate (p=0.78) or in survival probability (d30 p=0.19, d60 p=0.67, d90 p=0.68, last day of follow up p=0.68). In all patients, deaths were either attributed to COVID-19 or the infection contributed to death as per treating physician's judgement. Conclusions: In high-risk patients with haematological malignancies and COVID-19, molnupiravir showed rates of hospitalization and mortality comparable to those of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in this matched-pair analysis. Molnupiravir appears to be a plausible alternative to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for COVID-19 treatment in patients with haematological malignancy