The Portevin-Le Chatelier effect in the Continuous Time Random Walk framework

We present a continuous time random walk model for the Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) effect. From our result it is shown that the dynamics of the PLC band can be explained in terms of the Levy Walk

The Price of Controversy: Risk and Return of U.S. Sin Corporate Bonds

Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Business, Finance - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2024We examined the financial performance of U.S. corporate bonds issued by industries often considered “sinful,” including alcohol, tobacco, and gaming, from July 2002 to September 2022. The study aimed to determine whether these “sin” bonds yield abnormal returns compared to non-“sin” bonds. Using a comprehensive dataset and robust regression models, our study found mixed results regarding the performance of sin bonds. Regression analyses revealed that sin bonds often yield higher than comparable non-sin bonds when market performance is strong. However, they also show lower excess returns and underperformance relative to the equity market in certain conditions. The yield measures indicate that sin bonds generally have lower credit and T-spreads, suggesting they are perceived as less risky. Key financial factors such as book-to-market ratios and momentum positively influence excess return spreads, while higher credit risk and short-term price declines negatively impact them. These results highlight the complex interplay between ethical considerations and financial performance in the bond market. The implications of this study are significant for investors and policymakers, as they highlight the complex relationship between social norms, ethical investing, and financial performance. Keywords: Sin Bonds, Corporate Bonds, Ethical Investing, Abnormal Returns, U.S. Corporate Bond Market, Credit Spreads, Treasury Spreads, Duration-Adjusted Factor

A Cyber Situational Awareness Framework for Security Operations Center Incident Response in High Availability and Safety-Critical Systems

Owners of Operational Technology (OT) in different sectors from industry, critical infrastructure and other services are increasingly utilizing connected technologies in production processes, systems, and environments that make up their operations, exposing traditionally isolated networks to the Internet (Ashibani & Mahmoud, 2017). With cyber-attacks becoming a regular occurrence, industrial organizations face an ever-increasing challenge in protecting their assets as the cyber threat landscape widens due to Information Technology (IT) being introduced into the OT domain (Dragos, 2024). This means that cyber operations are not necessarily limited to the digital domain and may, in worst-case scenarios, lead to severe physical damage to critical infrastructure and personnel (The Norwegian National Security Authority, 2024). Critical infrastructure and OT are experiencing increased threats from the digital domain, and the current geopolitical situation has caused a spike in cyber-attacks that directly or indirectly impact critical OT environments (The Norwegian National Security Authority, 2024). To increase their cyber-resilience and respond to digital malicious actors targeting their environments, OT organizations may employ Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP) to protect their complex and highly contextualized OT environments from threats that originate in the cyber-realm. However, due to the inherent differences between IT and OT, MSSPs and Security Operations Centers (SOC) experience difficulties when integrating OT into the scope of their enterprise SOC operations (Dragos, 2023). Therefore, when securing systems that consist of OT, MSSPs are dependent on additional sources of knowledge and context to develop the Cyber Situational Awareness (CSA) necessary to effectively monitor and respond to cyber-events that span the IT and OT domains. With this exploratory study, we aim to determine how OT impacts the development of CSA during Incident Response (IR) in a SOC. Additionally, we investigate how MSSPs can operationalize people, processes, and technologies to effectively provide security operations to organizations that operate and maintain OT environments. We investigate how people, processes, and technology operate in a complex socio-technological environment to determine how the MSSPs and the SOC develop and maintain CSA during cross-domain IR. This study expands upon the work of Andreassen et al. (2023) by constructing a conceptual framework that illustrates the process of developing CSA in OT-SOC IR. We apply Collective Intelligence (CI) theory and Endsley’s (1995) theory of Situation Awareness (SA) to create a theoretical lens and explain how CSA and shared SA are developed in cross-domain and multi-actor environments. Data was gathered through a systematic assessment of 27 peer reviewed publications and 11 interviews with 14 respondents, varying from engineers to OT security specialists. Using the framework for SA in SOC-IR by Andreassen et al. (2023), theory, and the interview data, we have created a dynamic framework illustrating the process of developing CSA in OT-SOC IR. The framework illustrates how different actors (people, processes, and technologies) cooperate and coordinate across domains towards building CSA during incident response. Further, the framework captures the information flow and decision-making process at different levels to enable SOC operators to correlate cyber incidents with events that impact availability and operational safety in OT environments. Lastly, we explain how the environment changes when OT is incorporated into the scope of the SOC and highlight how elements of cognition, cooperation, and coordination act as the foundation in combined IT and OT cyber-IR

Quantum Two-State Dynamics Driven by Stationary Non-Markovian Discrete Noise: Exact Results

We consider the problem of stochastic averaging of a quantum two-state dynamics driven by non-Markovian, discrete noises of the continuous time random walk type (multistate renewal processes). The emphasis is put on the proper averaging over the stationary noise realizations corresponding, e.g., to a stationary environment. A two state non-Markovian process with an arbitrary non-exponential distribution of residence times (RTDs) in its states with a finite mean residence time provides a paradigm. For the case of a two-state quantum relaxation caused by such a classical stochastic field we obtain the explicit exact, analytical expression for the averaged Laplace-transformed relaxation dynamics. In the limit of Markovian noise (implying an exponential RTD), all previously known results are recovered. We exemplify new more general results for the case of non-Markovian noise with a biexponential RTD. The averaged, real-time relaxation dynamics is obtained in this case by numerically exact solving of a resulting algebraic polynomial problem. Moreover, the case of manifest non-Markovian noise with an infinite range of temporal autocorrelation (which in principle is not accessible to any kind of perturbative treatment) is studied, both analytically (asymptotic long-time dynamics) and numerically (by a precise numerical inversion of the Laplace-transformed averaged quantum relaxation).Comment: Chemical Physics, in pres

A Cyber Situational Awareness Framework for Security Operations Center Incident Response in High Availability and Safety-Critical Systems

Owners of Operational Technology (OT) in different sectors from industry, critical infrastructure and other services are increasingly utilizing connected technologies in production processes, systems, and environments that make up their operations, exposing traditionally isolated networks to the Internet (Ashibani & Mahmoud, 2017). With cyber-attacks becoming a regular occurrence, industrial organizations face an ever-increasing challenge in protecting their assets as the cyber threat landscape widens due to Information Technology (IT) being introduced into the OT domain (Dragos, 2024). This means that cyber operations are not necessarily limited to the digital domain and may, in worst-case scenarios, lead to severe physical damage to critical infrastructure and personnel (The Norwegian National Security Authority, 2024). Critical infrastructure and OT are experiencing increased threats from the digital domain, and the current geopolitical situation has caused a spike in cyber-attacks that directly or indirectly impact critical OT environments (The Norwegian National Security Authority, 2024). To increase their cyber-resilience and respond to digital malicious actors targeting their environments, OT organizations may employ Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP) to protect their complex and highly contextualized OT environments from threats that originate in the cyber-realm. However, due to the inherent differences between IT and OT, MSSPs and Security Operations Centers (SOC) experience difficulties when integrating OT into the scope of their enterprise SOC operations (Dragos, 2023). Therefore, when securing systems that consist of OT, MSSPs are dependent on additional sources of knowledge and context to develop the Cyber Situational Awareness (CSA) necessary to effectively monitor and respond to cyber-events that span the IT and OT domains. With this exploratory study, we aim to determine how OT impacts the development of CSA during Incident Response (IR) in a SOC. Additionally, we investigate how MSSPs can operationalize people, processes, and technologies to effectively provide security operations to organizations that operate and maintain OT environments. We investigate how people, processes, and technology operate in a complex socio-technological environment to determine how the MSSPs and the SOC develop and maintain CSA during cross-domain IR. This study expands upon the work of Andreassen et al. (2023) by constructing a conceptual framework that illustrates the process of developing CSA in OT-SOC IR. We apply Collective Intelligence (CI) theory and Endsley’s (1995) theory of Situation Awareness (SA) to create a theoretical lens and explain how CSA and shared SA are developed in cross-domain and multi-actor environments. Data was gathered through a systematic assessment of 27 peer reviewed publications and 11 interviews with 14 respondents, varying from engineers to OT security specialists. Using the framework for SA in SOC-IR by Andreassen et al. (2023), theory, and the interview data, we have created a dynamic framework illustrating the process of developing CSA in OT-SOC IR. The framework illustrates how different actors (people, processes, and technologies) cooperate and coordinate across domains towards building CSA during incident response. Further, the framework captures the information flow and decision-making process at different levels to enable SOC operators to correlate cyber incidents with events that impact availability and operational safety in OT environments. Lastly, we explain how the environment changes when OT is incorporated into the scope of the SOC and highlight how elements of cognition, cooperation, and coordination act as the foundation in combined IT and OT cyber-IR

Omsorgsteknologi & samhandling

Bakgrunn: I de kommende årene vil andelen eldre øke betraktelig og det vil føre til mindre tilgang av helsepersonell. Hjemmesykepleien vil spille en sentral del i helsetjenesten, og sykepleierne fremstår som et viktig bidrag. Omsorgsteknologi kan gi eldre mulighet til å mestre eget liv og helse, og bidra til at flere kan bo lenger i eget hjem. Problemstilling: Hvordan kan omsorgsteknologi påvirke sykepleierens samhandling med eldre i eget hjem? Hensikt: Å få økt kunnskap om og forståelse av faktorene som kan påvirke samhandlingen mellom sykepleieren og eldre ved innføring og bruk av omsorgsteknologi. Metode: Litteraturstudie basert på relevant fag og pensumlitteratur. Alle inkluderte studier er fra 2014 til 2017. Systematisk litteratursøk foregikk i databasene CINAHL og ProQuest. Funn: Funnene viser at det er ulike faktorer som kan påvirke sykepleierens samhandling. Ved å jobbe bevisst med utfordringene som kan oppstå, kan innføring av omsorgsteknologi være positivt for samhandlingen mellom sykepleier og eldre Konklusjon: Samhandlingen mellom sykepleier og pasient kan bli negativt påvirket ved bruk av omsorgsteknologi. Likevel ser man at flere pasienter har glede av omsorgsteknologi og at mange av utfordringene ved bruk av omsorgsteknologi er grunnet i dårlig opplæring og usikkerhet. Ved å være bevisst på utfordringene kan sykepleierens samhandling til eldre være god ved bruk av omsorgsteknologi. Nøkkelord: Omsorgsteknologi, samhandling, eldre hjemmeboende , sykepleier, faktore

Kjønnseffekten for styremedlemmer. En nettverksanalyse av selskap på Oslo Børs

Denne oppgaven undersøker nettverket dannet mellom norske ASA-selskap omsatt på Oslo Børs, og ser på ulikheten mellom kvinner og menns roller i nettverket. Oppgaven tar utgangspunkt i data fra 2010 og frem til i dag. Analysen bidrar til å innsikt i hvordan nettverket er satt sammen, hvilke egenskaper som er i nettverket og hvilke effekter rollene i nettverket kan ha. Styremedlemmer blir omtalt som en avgrenset gruppe og ofte som ”gutteklubben” og ”de gylne skjørt”. Analysen har sett nærmere på hvem som har sentrale posisjoner i flere av ASAselskapene gjennom tidsperioden på 10 år og fant et sammensatt nettverk. Når nettverkene ble inndelt basert på kjønn var resultatet at menn er brobyggere, mens kvinner har større innflytelse og knytter flere selskap sammen gjennom sine verv.submittedVersio

En komparativ studie av norsk og svensk regulering av konkurranseklausuler i arbeidsforhold

Avhandlingens formål er å sammenlikne reguleringen av konkurranseklausuler i arbeidsforhold i Norge og Sverige. Tema for avhandlingen er arbeidsgivers adgang til å binde arbeidstaker etter at ansettelsesforholdet er opphørt ved anvendelse av konkurranseklausuler. I denne avhandlingen forstås begrepet ''konkurranseklausul'' som en avtaleklausul som forbyr arbeidstaker å starte konkurrerende virksomhet eller ta arbeid i konkurrerende bedrift den første tiden etter at arbeidsforholdet er opphørt. Det er ikke uvanlig at arbeidsgivere inntar konkurranseklausuler i arbeidsavtaler, for å beskytte virksomheten mot konkurranse fra tidligere arbeidstakere. Sett fra en arbeidstakers synsvinkel vil en konkurranseklausul begrense hans / hennes handlingsfrihet, og vil derfor alltid være et onde. Er konkurranseforbudet for omfattende kan det i verste fall fungere som et rent yrkesforbud. Flere bedrifter driver virksomhet i både Norge og Sverige, og det er av den grunn interessant både for arbeidsgiver og arbeidstaker å vite i hvilken grad det er adgang til å avtale slike klausuler. Både etter norsk og svensk rett reguleres gyldigheten av konkurranseklausuler i arbeidsforhold av avtaleloven § 38, som ble til gjennom et nordisk lovsamarbeid og ledet til lovstifting i 1915 (Sverige) og 1918 (Norge). Bestemmelsene begrenser avtalefriheten i Norge og Sverige, slik at for omfattende konkurranseklausuler kan kjennes helt eller delvis ugyldig. Den norske bestemmelsen inneholder en mer detaljregulering enn den tilsvarende svenske bestemmelsen. En komparasjon av reguleringen av konkurranseklausuler i arbeidsforhold i Norge og Sverige viser at rettsutviklingen har medført at arbeidstakere har fått et sterkere vern etter svensk rett. Konkurranseklausuler kan etter svensk rett kun avtales mellom en svært begrenset gruppe av arbeidsgivere og arbeidstakere. Hovedsakelig skyldes denne forskjellen mellom norsk og svensk rett den normerende virkning 1969 års överenskommelse har fått i Sverige. Lovgiver har anerkjent överenskommelsen som rettskilde. Rettspraksis viser at kollektivavtalen har fått sentral betydning ved vurderingen av konkurranseklausulers gyldighet etter den svenske avtaleloven § 38, både for kollektivavtalebundne og ikke-kollektivavtalebundne parter. Til tross for at svensk rett har en mer restriktiv holdning til konkurranseklausuler enn norsk rett, viser utredningen at det er flere likheter mellom den norske og svenske reguleringen. En fellesnevner er blant annet de faktorer som, både etter norsk og svensk rett, tillegges vesentlige vekt ved vurderingen av konkurranseklausulers gyldighet etter avtaleloven § 38. Rettspraksis fra Norge og Sverige tyder på at konkurranseklausuler med en varighet på over to år vanligvis ikke vil anses gyldig. Arbeidstakers adgang til annet erverv blir tillagt vesentlig vekt ved vurderingen av konkurranseklausulers gyldighet både etter norsk og svensk rett. Utredningen viser også at arbeidsgivers behov for at konkurranseklausulen opprettholdes tillegges stor vekt ved vurderingen. Avhandlingens siste kapittel inneholder egne bemerkninger til noen av forskjellene som er påvist under komparasjonen, herunder noen tanker rundt de ulike reguleringsformene som er valgt i Norge og Sverige

Quantum dynamics in strong fluctuating fields

A large number of multifaceted quantum transport processes in molecular systems and physical nanosystems can be treated in terms of quantum relaxation processes which couple to one or several fluctuating environments. A thermal equilibrium environment can conveniently be modelled by a thermal bath of harmonic oscillators. An archetype situation provides a two-state dissipative quantum dynamics, commonly known under the label of a spin-boson dynamics. An interesting and nontrivial physical situation emerges, however, when the quantum dynamics evolves far away from thermal equilibrium. This occurs, for example, when a charge transferring medium possesses nonequilibrium degrees of freedom, or when a strong time-dependent control field is applied externally. Accordingly, certain parameters of underlying quantum subsystem acquire stochastic character. Herein, we review the general theoretical framework which is based on the method of projector operators, yielding the quantum master equations for systems that are exposed to strong external fields. This allows one to investigate on a common basis the influence of nonequilibrium fluctuations and periodic electrical fields on quantum transport processes. Most importantly, such strong fluctuating fields induce a whole variety of nonlinear and nonequilibrium phenomena. A characteristic feature of such dynamics is the absence of thermal (quantum) detailed balance.Comment: review article, Advances in Physics (2005), in pres