SVT-publikasjoner 2009

Weel, Frederikus van der; van der Meer, Audrey. Seeing it coming: infants' brain responses to looming danger. Die Naturwissenschaften 2009;96(12):1385-1391

A fundamental property of most animals is the ability to see whether an object is approaching on a direct collision course and, if so, when it will collide. Using high-density electroencephalography in 5- to 11-month-old infants and a looming stimulus approaching under three different accelerations, we investigated how the young human nervous system extracts and processes information for impending collision. Here, we show that infants' looming related brain activity is characterised by theta oscillations. Source analyses reveal clear localised activity in the visual cortex. Analysing the temporal dynamics of the source waveform, we provide evidence that the temporal structure of different looming stimuli is sustained during processing in the more mature infant brain, providing infants with increasingly veridical time-to-collision information about looming danger as they grow older and become more mobile.

Rønning, Wenche M. Adult Flexible Students' Approaches to Studying in Higher Education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 2009;53(5):447-460

A Norwegian translation of the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI-32) was administered to 1477 adult students attending flexible study programs in higher education in Norway (2004-05). The intention was to investigate their approaches to studying, taking into account their educational backgrounds and their present, challenging study conditions. The latter being characterized by off-campus studies and shortage of time due to working-life and family obligations. This article is concerned with two questions: (1) Is prior education correlated with approaches to learning among these students? and (2) To what extent are contextual constraints, personal effort, and self-efficacy associated with study approaches among these students? This study shows that adult, flexible students are primarily meaning oriented. The first-time students among them, however, are more reproducing oriented than students with prior higher education. Self-efficacy turned out to be more strongly associated with approaches than personal efforts. Obligations of everyday life, contrary to hypothesis, did not have the expected impact.

Kauko, Tom. Classification of Residential Areas in the Three Largest Dutch Cities Using Multidimensional Data. Urban Studies 2009;46(8):1639-1663

This article explores the variety of residential area types in the three largest Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. The data are characterised as multidimensional, as they pertain to socio-demographic and other `objective' indicators produced by official statistics, as well as to more `subjective' location preferences expressed by the residents themselves. The method used is a clustering and classification approach based on two-dimensional models generated by the self-organising map (SOM) and learning vector quantisation (LVQ). Using sub-district-level data, the study shows that, while some characteristic residential milieus can be found in all three cities, they have a broader variety in Amsterdam than in Rotterdam or The Hague. This supports the commonly held presumption that Amsterdam is less segregated than Rotterdam or The Hague in terms of intraurban housing patterns.

Skaalvik, Einar Melgren; Skaalvik, Sidsel. Does school context matter? Relations with teacher burnout and job satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education 2009 ;25(3):518-524

This study examined relations between teachers' perception of the school context, teacher burnout, and teacher job satisfaction. Participants were 563 Norwegian teachers in elementary school and middle school. Four aspects of teachers' perception of the school context (supervisory support, time pressure, relations to parents, and autonomy) and three dimensions of teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment) were measured. The data were analyzed by means of structural equation modelling using the AMOS 5 program. Teachers' job satisfaction was directly related to two of the dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment) and indirectly related to all aspects of the school context, through emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment. The three dimensions of burnout were differently related to the school context variables. Emotional exhaustion was most strongly related to time pressure whereas depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment were most strongly related to teachers' relations with parents. Implications for both research and educational practices are discussed.

Kvande, Elin. Work–Life Balance for Fathers in Globalized Knowledge Work. Some Insights from the Norwegian Context. Gender, Work and Organization 2009;16(1):58-72

This article takes as its point of departure the introduction of a new flexible time regime in parts of working life. There has been increased focus on how knowledge work in particular is developing into total commitment organizations where employees put in more and more time at work. Using two case studies from law and computing companies the article focuses on the organization of work and the organization of time in globalized knowledge organizations, and what effect this has on the time practices of male employees who are fathers. In the same period the Nordic countries have introduced state incentives and regulations that aim to help fathers achieve work–life balance. The article also discusses whether this is a fruitful policy, or whether fathers working in flexible time cultures need more deregulation, individual choice and flexible policy measures.

Zhao, Xin-Cheng; Berg, Bente Gunnveig. Morphological and Physiological Characteristics of the Serotonin-Immunoreactive Neuron in the Antennal Lobe of the Male Oriental Tobacco Budworm, Helicoverpa assulta. Chemical Senses 2009;34(5):363-372

More than half a century ago, in 1949, the Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb suggested that the capability of learning implies particular changes in synaptic strength at the level of neural networks. Hebb proposed his idea based on experiments carried out in the marine snail Aplysia californica. The learning mechanisms studied in Aplysia involves the activation of a particular neuron type — namely, a population of modulatory neurons that releases the biogenic monoamine serotonin. In general, serotonin seems to play a prominent role as a modulator within neural networks of invertebrates, as well as vertebrates. In humans, for example, a group of serotonergic neurons projecting from the raphe nuclei modulates chemosensory information in the brain olfactory centre, the olfactory bulb. Interestingly, insects also possess serotonergic neurons innervating the brain olfactory centre, here called the antennal lobe. In the present study, we describe physiological characteristics of a unique serotonergic antennal-lobe neuron previously identified in several insect species. The data induce new ideas regarding principles for modulation of chemosensory information within a neural network.

Grønhaug, Roar; Christiansen, Marielle. Supply Chain Optimization for the Liquefied Natural Gas Business. Lecture notes in economics and mathematical systems 2009;619:195-218

The importance of natural gas as an energy source is increasing. Natural gas has traditionally been transported in pipelines, but ships are more efficient for transportation over long distances. When the gas is cooled down to liquid state it is called liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG supply chain consists of exploration, extraction, liquefaction, transportation, storage and regasification. Maritime transportation is a vital part of the LNG supply chain, and LNG is transported in special designed ships, LNG tankers. The demand for LNG tankers has increased considerably as the entire LNG industry continues to see strong growth. Hence, there is a great potential and need for optimization based decision support to manage the LNG fleet, liquefaction plants, and regasification terminals in this business. Here, we are studying the LNG supply chain in close cooperation with a worldwide actor within the LNG business. This actor is responsible for the LNG supply chain management except the exploration and extraction. We describe the real planning problem and present both an arc-flow and a path-flow model of the problem. Both models are tested and compared on instances motivated from the realworld problem. It is a very complex problem, so only small instances can be solved to optimality by these solution approaches.

Lujala, Päivi. Deadly combat over natural resources: Gems, petroleum, drugs, and the severity of armed civil conflict. Journal of Conflict Resolution 2009;53(1):50-71

This article empirically examines how natural resources affect the severity of armed civil conflict. It finds that drug cultivation in the conflict area is associated with less severe conflicts but that gemstone mining and oil and gas in the conflict zone production increase the severity of conflicts. Most severe are secessionist conflicts in regions with hydrocarbon production. Interestingly, oil and gas production outside the conflict zones is related to less severe conflicts. Measured at the country level, none of the resource variables has an effect on conflict severity. These results have four implications. First, availability of natural resources affects the severity of armed civil conflict. Second, the location of resources is crucial to their impact on conflict. Third, the type of resource matters. Above all, it seems that natural resources affect conflict severity by altering incentives for both the rebel group and the state.

Valenta, Marko. Selective networking as identity project: the social integration of first generation immigrants in Norway. Journal of International Migration and Integration 2009;10(2):177-195

Many immigrants try to gain positive recognition in their everyday lives through the active and selective rearrangement of social relations with members of the host community and their own ethnic groups. Amongst other things, their selectivity with respect to who they want to be associated with are expressed through their ethno-social preferences, as well as through the kinds of ties and the sociable intensity they have with their Norwegian and compatriot friends and acquaintances. In this article, I argue that there are tensions and dilemmas connected to these friendships. These tensions can be partly illuminated if we distinguish between the interactional aspects of the ties and the symbolic values that immigrants attach to these ties. The main argument is that for many immigrants, the weak tie attachment to Norwegians seems to be the preferable path of social integration into the mainstream society. Given the focus on immigrants’ voices, the data was gathered through qualitative interviews. Other methods of gathering empirical data, such as from observations, are also used.

Ettema, Gerardus Johannes C; Lorås, Håvard Wuttudal. Efficiency in cycling: a review. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2009;106(1):1-14

We focus on the effect of cadence and work rate on energy expenditure and efficiency in cycling, and present arguments to support the contention that gross efficiency can be considered to be the most relevant expression of efficiency. A linear relationship between work rate and energy expenditure appears to be a rather consistent outcome among the various studies considered in this review, irrespective of subject performance level. This relationship is an example of the Fenn effect, described more than 80 years ago for muscle contraction. About 91% of all variance in energy expenditure can be explained by work rate, with only about 10% being explained by cadence. Gross efficiency is strongly dependent on work rate, mainly because of the diminishing effect of the (zero work-rate) base-line energy expenditure with increasing work rate. The finding that elite athletes have a higher gross efficiency than lower-level performers may largely be explained by this phenomenon. However, no firm conclusions can be drawn about the energetically optimal cadence for cycling because of the multiple factors associated with cadence that affect energy expenditure.

Kolstad, Arnulf; Horpestad, Silje. Self-Construal in Chile and Norway: Implications for Cultural Differences in Individualism and Collectivism. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 2009;40(2):275-281

The study compares Chilean and Norwegian self-construal with regard to the concepts of independence and interdependence. Chile has been characterized as collectivistic and Norway as individualistic, and the hypothesis is that this characterization also distinguishes self-perception as independent and interdependent, respectively. The total sample consists of 368 university students. The instrument, Self-Construal Scale (SCS), measures the strength of independence and interdependence. The Chilean sample reports a higher score on both constructs. Both samples report the highest score on independence. The results are inconsistent with previous models that characterize Chile as collectivistic and Norway as individualistic. These characterizations are questioned. The findings also imply that a particular score on either independence or interdependence does not predict the score on the opposite variable. Individuals in the two cultures have a unique blend of independent and interdependent self-appraisal, which represent a composite mix of individualistic and collective elements in each culture.

Lein, Haakon. The poorest and most vulnerable? On hazards, livelihoods and labelling of riverine communities in Bangladesh. Singapore journal of tropical geography 2009;30(1):98-113

Within the field of hazard research, vulnerability studies have been central to inducing a shift in the perspective on disasters as being primarily inflicted by geophysical events to that of apprehending disasters as destructive outcomes of particular social as well as hazardous environmental conditions. However, the inherent tendency within vulnerability studies to classify certain areas or people as 'vulnerable' may in some cases also serve to reinforce popular and/or ingrained prejudices, negative stereotypes and dubious explanations of the living conditions and fate of specific communities that become so labelled. The riverbanks and islands in river courses of Bangladesh have long been portrayed as home to the 'poorest' and most vulnerable communities, the widespread assumption being that people would only live in such riverine environments because they have no other options. Drawing on an examination of existing literature on char settlements in Bangladesh and data from a field site in the Jamuna River, this paper argues that the prevailing perceptions and labelling of char dwellers as 'vulnerable' people is based on a far too simplistic understanding of both rural migration patterns and the livelihoods obtained in these riverine areas

Williksen, Solrun. Moods behind the Silences. Ethnography 2009;10(1):115-127

This article reflects on encounters that took place while doing fieldwork in Fiji. The writer thinks back on moods and acts that were, and still are, only partly understood. The writer has in earlier works discussed how Fijian people adhere to strict rules for body comportment and social intercourse, not least in their elaborate ceremonies that seem to continue unabated even in the urban areas. These rules are related to the status hierarchy of the chiefly system where communal values of kinship and social obligations reign supreme. Togetherness and a constant adjustment to others' expectations are the norms. A person seems hardly ever to be alone or free from obligations or duties to perform in one way or the other. This article, however, is a more personal account of people who became friends of the writer during fieldwork and yet in certain aspects, as the writer thinks back, remain riddles.