Value-based network mobilization: A case study of modern environmental networkers

This article addresses current environmental issues by taking a network perspective to examine the initiatives to solve them. Previous investigations of network dynamics and mobilization concern the business context, but we broaden the analysis to the societal networks wherein business is embedded. Our aim is to investigate the early emergence of collective action around a common issue. We analyze the network mobilizers, who promote the issue and its solutions, and the mobilization mechanisms that they employ. We have conducted a case study that examines three initiatives to save the Baltic Sea, all involving business, governmental, and civil society actors. This rich case material leads us to formulate a conceptual model of value-based network mobilization. The mobilizing actors, values, and relationship sediments emerge as important factors in creating issue networks. Our key contribution is to show how the environmental issues bring new types of actors to networks and change the rules of the game. We propose that ‘modern environmental networkers’ should become more important in the future, and that business firms need to develop their skills in playing the new games with these new actors.Peer reviewe

Mobilisation of issue networks: the case of fighting heart disease in Finland

In this study we examine the mobilisation processes of public, private and third sector actors to solve pressing contemporary issues. We develop an analytical framework that integrates the business network and institutional entrepreneurship literature to investigate the initial mobilisation processes of issue networks. Empirically, we focus on collective actions in Finland to tackle heart disease, which is a pressing global health issue. Our results stress the role of network mobilisers in creating institutional change by framing the issues and connecting different networks. We argue that network relationships are the key resource for creating institutional change and solving common issues.Peer reviewe

Network mobilizers and target firms: The case of saving the Baltic Sea

This paper examines why and how firms participate in issue networks that aim at solving contemporary complex problems. We build mainly on network and stakeholder literatures to understand mobilization from a relational perspective. Drawing on a single embedded case study of four initiatives to save the Baltic Sea, we build a multilevel model for firm participation in issue networks. Besides discovering diverse motivational factors, the model sheds light on the interaction between individual, organization, and network levels factors explaining mobilization. We argue that there is high theoretical, managerial, and societal relevance for studying the dynamics of issue networks—a topic which could be better incorporated in the research agenda of business network scholars.Peer reviewe

MNCs and local cross-sector partnerships: The case of a smarter Baltic Sea

Although cross-sector partnerships (XSPs) between multinational corporations (MNCs), governments and non-profit organizations are increasingly used to solve local problems and build responsible business, they have received limited attention in international business research. Because XSPs are vulnerable to conflicts and pose specific demands for subsidiary managers, it is critical to understand the integration mechanisms of XSPs that enhance their success. We study managerial sensemaking in an XSP formed to improve the environmental state of the Baltic Sea. Drawing from a cross-disciplinary literature review and insights from a case study we identify three kinds of integration mechanisms: resource mechanisms, ideational and social mechanisms, and organizational mechanisms. Our findings further imply that managerial “bricolage”, i.e. strategically combining resources at hand, is critical in enacting the integration mechanisms. The findings help to understand how integration and success of MNCs' local partnerships may be increased.Peer reviewe

Optimization of Quench Protection Heater Performance in High-Field Accelerator Magnets through Computational and Experimental Analysis

Superconducting accelerator magnets with increasingly high magnetic fields are being designed to improve the performance of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. One of the technical challenges is the magnet quench protection, i.e., preventing damage in the case of an unexpected loss of superconductivity and the heat generation related to that. Traditionally this is done by disconnecting the magnet current supply and using so-called protection heaters. The heaters suppress the superconducting state across a large fraction of the winding thus leading to a uniform dissipation of the stored energy. Preliminary studies suggested that the high-field Nb3Sn magnets under development for the LHC luminosity upgrade (HiLumi) could not be reliably protected using the existing heaters. In this thesis work I analyzed in detail the present state-of-the-art protection heater technology, aiming to optimize its performance and evaluate the prospects in high-field magnet protection. The heater efficiency analyses focused on the time delays from heater activation to normal zone initiation in the coils. I developed a numerical simulation tool CoHDA (Code for Heater Delay Analysis) to model the heat transfer from the heater to the cables and estimate the delay based on the superconductor critical surface. All the important parameters relative to the heater, the cable, and the magnet operation conditions were included. The simulation results were validated experimentally using measured data from several R&D Nb3Sn quadrupoles and dipoles. Then, a method based on parametric sweeps was utilized to optimize the heater layouts. The goal was to minimize the delay to quench the entire coil, taking into account the different field regions. New heater designs were proposed for the Nb3Sn R&D prototype LHQ and the HiLumi quadrupole QXF. Finally, I simulated the heaters in high temperature superconductor magnets, which are being considered for the LHC energy upgrade. Consequently, I proposed technology improvements to increase the heater energy in order to meet the requirements also in these very high-field magnets

Optimization of Quench Protection Heater Performance in High-Field Accelerator Magnets through Computational and Experimental Analysis

Superconducting accelerator magnets with increasingly high magnetic fields are being designed to improve the performance of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. One of the technical challenges is the magnet quench protection, i.e., preventing damage in the case of an unexpected loss of superconductivity and the heat generation related to that. Traditionally this is done by disconnecting the magnet current supply and using so-called protection heaters. The heaters suppress the superconducting state across a large fraction of the winding thus leading to a uniform dissipation of the stored energy. Preliminary studies suggested that the high-field Nb3Sn magnets under development for the LHC luminosity upgrade (HiLumi) could not be reliably protected using the existing heaters. In this thesis work I analyzed in detail the present state-of-the-art protection heater technology, aiming to optimize its performance and evaluate the prospects in high-field magnet protection. The heater efficiency analyses focused on the time delays from heater activation to normal zone initiation in the coils. I developed a numerical simulation tool CoHDA (Code for Heater Delay Analysis) to model the heat transfer from the heater to the cables and estimate the delay based on the superconductor critical surface. All the important parameters relative to the heater, the cable, and the magnet operation conditions were included. The simulation results were validated experimentally using measured data from several R&D Nb3Sn quadrupoles and dipoles. Then, a method based on parametric sweeps was utilized to optimize the heater layouts. The goal was to minimize the delay to quench the entire coil, taking into account the different field regions. New heater designs were proposed for the Nb3Sn R&D prototype LHQ and the HiLumi quadrupole QXF. Finally, I simulated the heaters in high temperature superconductor magnets, which are being considered for the LHC energy upgrade. Consequently, I proposed technology improvements to increase the heater energy in order to meet the requirements also in these very high-field magnets

Progressive Stroke-Like Symptoms in a Patient with Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder in which accumulation of a pathogenic isoform of prion protein (PrPSc) induces neuronal damage with distinct pathologic features. The prognosis of sCJD is devastating: rapid clinical decline is followed by death generally within months after onset of symptoms. The classic clinical manifestations of sCJD are rapidly progressing dementia, myoclonus, and ataxia. However, the spectrum of clinical features can vary considerably. We describe a definite, neuropathologically verified sCJD in a 67-year-old woman who initially presented with progressive stroke-like symptoms: left-sided hemiparesis and ataxia within a few days. The initial brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral cortical hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted sequences (DWI) resembling multiple ischemic lesions. Despite anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin, the patient deteriorated rapidly, became dysphagic and bedridden with myoclonic jerks on her left side extremities correlating with intermittent high-amplitude epileptiform discharges on electroencephalography (EEG). Basal ganglia hyperintense signal changes in addition to cortical ribboning were seen in DWI images of a follow-up MRI. Repeated EEG recordings showed an evolution to periodic sharp wave complexes. Protein 14-3-3 was positive in her cerebrospinal fluid specimen, in addition to an abnormally high total tau level. In the terminal stage the patient was in an akinetic, mutistic state with deteriorating consciousness. She died 19 days after admission to the hospital. Neuropathologic investigation corroborated the clinical diagnosis of sCJD with spongiform degeneration and immunohistochemical demonstration of the deposition of pathologic PrPSc

Predictors for occupational injuries and diseases among commercial fishers in Finland 1996–2015

Fishing is a hazardous occupation worldwide. Commercial fishers in Finland are an aging and diminishing population with a high injury rate. Insurance claims data for self-employed Finnish commercial fishers during the years 1996 through 2015 (n = 1951) were analysed to assess predictors for occupational injuries and diseases. Out of the available variables, fishery location, career length, and participation in the voluntary occupational health service programme were not significant predictors. Male gender (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.37–2.99), Finnish mother tongue vs. Swedish (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.53–2.55), and higher income levels from fishing (four income categories, OR range: 1.71–3.53) were associated with higher odds for a compensated occupational injury or disease claim among commercial fishers in the final multivariate model. The identified risk groups could be targeted for interventions, and the content of the occupational health service programme should be developed to gain protective effect