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Hvordan former etterretning russisk innenrikspolitikk og utenriks- og sikkerhetspolitikk? Dagens Russland karakteriseres ofte som en «KGB-stat». Nåværende og tidligere etterretningsoffiserer, inkludert president Putin, dominerer i økende grad politikk og økonomi, og bringer med seg kultur, verdensbilde, nettverk og metoder som er typiske for russisk etterretning. Dette er godt kjent, men det er lite systematisk og teoretisk basert kunnskap om hvordan etterretning faktisk påvirker russisk politikk. For å endre på dette har RUSINTELSTATE samlet et team av håndplukkede, internasjonale Russland-eksperter innen etterretningsstudier, kulturstudier, samtidshistorie og internasjonale relasjoner. Anglo-amerikanske etterretningsstudier (for ikke å snakke om statsvitenskap og internasjonale relasjoner) ser gjerne på politikk og etterretning som atskilt. Etterretning forstås snevert, som en spesifikk form for kunnskap som skal gi politisk nøytral beslutningsstøtte. Denne normative tilnærmingen er imidlertid dårlig tilpasset Russland, en autoritær, personalistisk stat med en distinkt historie. RUSINTELSTATE, derimot, a) analyserer etterretning i videre forstand, som aktører, aktiviteter og kultur; og b) anerkjenner at etterretning og politikk ikke kan forstås atskilt. Etterretningsaktører (organisasjoner/nettverk) kjemper for innflytelse ved å posisjonere seg politisk. Etterretningsaktiviteter (kunnskapsproduksjon) både påvirker og blir påvirket av politiske vurderinger. Etterretningskultur – hele spekteret fra propaganda-narrativer til dyptfølt ideologi – både former og blir formet av oppfatningene til aktørene. Vi framholder at verken den russiske staten eller dens etterretning kan forstås atskilt. Vårt begrep ‘hybrid etterretningsstat’, som understreker den gjensidige innflytelsen mellom russisk politikk og etterretning, er et bedre redskap til å forstå russisk utenriks- og sikkerhetspolitikk, og gjør oss bedre i stand til å håndtere dens utfordringer mot vår sikkerhet.

How does intelligence shape Russian domestic politics and foreign and security policy? Intelligence is ubiquitous in Russia. Current and former intelligence officers, including President Putin, increasingly dominate politics and economy, bringing with them the culture, world-view, networks, and methods of the Russian intelligence community. This is widely acknowledged, yet how it impacts Russia’s foreign and security policy is still poorly understood by academics. Both intelligence as such and its role in IR remain under-theorized, and research on Russian intelligence is highly compartmentalized. To change this, RUSINTELSTATE enlists a team of carefully selected international Russia experts from the complementing fields of intelligence studies, cultural studies, contemporary history, and IR. Moving beyond the models of ‘the KGB state’ on the one hand and ‘intelligence-as-a-tool’ of the state on the other, we advance the novel theoretical perspective of the Russian Hybrid Intelligence State. This allows for a nuanced and culturally and contextually sensitive approach based on the recognition that neither the Russian state nor its intelligence can be understood in isolation from each other. Contrary to the traditional and often normative notion of intelligence as a specific type of knowledge, we employ a wide definition of (state-centered) intelligence as actors, activities, and culture, which allows us to analyze the different ways in which intelligence and politics influence each other: a) actors (services/networks) vying for influence by positioning themselves; b) activities (knowledge production) that may both be heavily influenced by political considerations and influence these considerations; and c) culture, i.e. both narratives created for propaganda and deep-seated beliefs of the intelligence services, as well as everything in between. This makes us better equipped to understand Russian foreign/security policy, and to deal with its challenges to our security.

The Russian Hybrid Intelligence State

Politics and Security in the Arctic (POPSARC) tar utgangspunkt i to overordnede spørsmål. For det første, hva kjennetegner vestlige alliertes tilnærminger til sikkerhet i Arktis de senere årene? For det andre, hva kjennetegner samspillet mellom disse vestlige allierte i Arktis, innenfor nøkkelområder av sikkerhetspolitikken? Mye forskningslitteratur har i de senere årene sett på Russland og Kinas ambisjoner for og tilstedeværelse i Arktis, samt vestlige aktørers reaksjoner og tilsvar på disse to statenes signaler og opptreden. Mindre oppmerksomhet har blitt viet endringer i dynamikken og samspillet mellom allierte på vestlig side. Her vil POPSARC bidra til å skaffe til veie oppdatert kunnskap.

Prosjektet fokuserer på åtte stater: De syv arktiske statene Norge, Danmark, Island, Finland, Sverige, Canada og USA, samt Storbritannia - som definerer seg som Arktis' nærmeste nabo. Forskningsteamet vil undersøke disse statenes tilnærminger til og samspill i arktiske sikkerhetsspørsmål på tre områder i perioden 2014-2026: Diplomati, militært samarbeid og infrastruktur-styring. Prosjektet trekker på et teoretisk rammeverk hvor ideer om utenrikspolitiske handlingsrepertoar, felleskapsbygging og differensiering står sentralt. Dette rammeverket vil bli brukt til å analysere endringer i diskurs og observerbare samhandlingsspraksiser på de tre områdene. På den måten vil prosjektet gi verdifulle innsikter til forskere, men også beslutningstakere og den opplyste allmennheten.

At a time marked by major international turbulence – war in Europe, the breakdown of established diplomatic fora, the entry of new actors and stakeholders – there is an urgent need for also understanding the approaches of and interaction dynamics between Western allies operating in or near the Arctic. Power Politics and Security in the Arctic (POPSARC) addresses this knowledge need. While there is a rapidly growing body of literature tracing and unpacking the ambitions and actions of Russia and China in the Arctic, and Western actors’ responses to their moves, limited scholarly attention has been given to the (changing) fabric of allied interactions in the region. POPSARC will theorise, trace, and unpack allied interaction patterns in and around the Arctic.

Doing so, the project asks two questions. First, what characterises Western allies’ current approaches to security in the Arctic? Second, how are allied interactions in the Arctic sphere materialising – in statements, strategies, and observable material practices – across key security domains? Zooming in on the time period 2014-2026, the POPSARC team will study Western allies’ approaches to and interaction patterns in Arctic security across three domains: Diplomacy, military collaboration, and infrastructure governance. Theoretically, it will employ a theory framework organised around the concepts of foreign policy repertoires, community-building, and differentiation. Empirically, it combines the study of dominant and alternative representations in official and wider political and discourses, with a study of observable interaction practices in the domains of diplomacy, military collaboration, and infrastructure governance. In terms of output, the project will deliver academic articles, events, talks, popular publications, and social media engagement. Project results will add to the knowledge production on Arctic security, help policy makers arrive at better-informed decisions, and educate members of the public.

Power Politics and Security in the Arctic

Integrated Research Infrastructure Services for Climate Change risks

Adaptation to climate change requires in-depth understanding of climate change driven risks, including their determinants (hazards, exposure and vulnerabilities) and impacts to human, production and natural systems. Integrated Research Infrastructure Services for Climate Change Risks (IRISCC) is a consortium of diverse and complementary leading research infrastructures (RIs) covering disciplines from natural sciences to social sciences, across different domains and sectors. IRISCC provides scientific and knowledge services to foster cutting-edge research and evidence-based policymaking to improve Europe's resilience to climate change. IRISCC ensures a “one-stop-shop” for various user communities on climate change risk related RI services by setting up a dedicated Catalogue of services and related access management system both for granting transnational (onsite and remote) and offering virtual access. The Catalogue of services will be built through three consecutive releases, each delivering increasingly integrated services to its user communities. The IRISCC service integration will include Service Design Labs employing co-design and transdisciplinary action, and Service Demonstrators benchmarking the integrated cross-RI services. In addition to services aimed towards the scientific community, IRISCC will offer knowledge services aimed towards policymakers and other stakeholders. This is done together with risk management platforms. The research enabled by IRISCC contributes to future reports on climate change effects (IPCC, IPBES) as well as policy- and decision-making to meet the targets of climate adaptation strategies. IRISCC contributes to training a new generation of scientists to efficiently use RI services and for data stewardship. Data from IRISCC will be open and made available in compliance with FAIR principles and linked to European initiatives such as EOSC. Strong links will be created between IRISCC and current and future efforts under Horizon Europe.

EXPRESS2 is a project that addresses from a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and cross-sectional perspective, the growing demand for a new, more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable social contract in the EU. To achieve this, the project will work to create a more appealing and legitimate EU social contract draft that will be submitted to inhabitants, Member States and EU institutions that will have the possibility to participate and decide upon the conditions, rights, and obligations to be binding. The goal is to strengthen the EU agreement of association by promoting social dialogue, civic engagement, and integration. An express draft shall be achieved by means of policy dialogue, campaign implementation, collaborative workshops, advocacy planning, and innovative offline and online formats and tools to create spaces for dialogue. To this end, EXPRESS2 will involve EU policymakers and institutions throughout the project to obtain a more appealing and legitimate EU social contract draft. 
The project will also focus on identifying and analyzing disruptive elements of the social contract, such as insecurity, populism, climate change, mistrust in institutions, gender discrimination, digitalisation and pandemics. The analysis of these stressors includes both individualised and cross-sectional approaches to cover the plausible relation of multiple disruptors, their concatenation or the “trigger” effect of a disruptive phenomenon to another. By understanding these disruptive elements and their effects on the social contract, the project will propose concrete measures to ironclad the social contract and it will provide relevant information to protect it from actual and potential disruptions thus we conceive social contracts as incomplete theorised agreements and living documents. In addition to academic, policy, and socio-economic outcomes, EXPRESS2 will propose recommendations to strengthen the social contract's resilience and capacity for further development.


EXPRESS 2 SPECIFY AND PROTECT THE EU SOCIAL CONTRACT (EXPRESS2)

SUNSET aims to develop innovative research and training capacity around city-university interactions driving the EU’s green and digital transition. This twin transition is a defining element of the current EU policy agenda towards achieving climate neutrality and sustainable growth. The European Commission considers cities to be frontrunners in this transition agenda, but their transformational capacity and resilience crucially depends on the presence of agile and high-performing urban innovation ecosystems. SUNSET brings together (1) prominent researchers working in diverse geographical and disciplinary settings at leading universities (N=6) with (2) partners (N=16) from city governments (often participating in the Cities Mission to achieve climate neutrality by 2030), innovation companies, research institutes and civil society organizations to analyze and foster the performance of these urban innovation ecosystems: drawing on a purposeful range of interdisciplinary, international, and intersectoral exchanges, the Doctoral Network will investigate whether and how universities can successfully become key drivers of the twin transition in cities via their role as innovation partners, the implementation of campus living labs, and as architects of decision-making in governance ecosystems. Through a tailored combination of network-wide training events and academic and non-academic secondments, the SUNSET Doctoral Network will train a new generation of researchers to become future urban innovation ecosystem leaders in the pursuit of the twin green and digital transition. The findings will lead to practical guidelines regarding the design and implementation of living labs for university and city management, tailored strategies to foster more inclusive and diverse urban ecosystems, and diverse forms of scientific outreach and dissemination.

Smart and Sustainable Host UniverCities: leveraging city-university interactions to further the twin green and digital transition

Til tross for at politiske partier er sentrale i å utvikle klimapolitikk, er det forsket lite på strategiene og påvirkningen deres, spesielt i et sammenlignende perspektiv. Målet med dette prosjektet er å adressere mangelen på systematiske og sammenlignbare data på partiers klimaposisjoner, og å gjennomføre den mest omfattende analysen av rollen til politiske partier i klimapolitikken som har vært gjort til nå. Forskningsspørsmålene er:

1: Hvordan posisjonerer partier seg på klima, og hva forklarer variasjonene?
2: Hvordan er konkurransen mellom partier på klimaområdet strukturert i industrialiserte land, og hva forklarer variasjonene?
3: Hvordan påvirker befolkningens holdninger hvordan partier posisjonerer seg og konkurrerer på klima?
4: Hvordan påvirker partiers preferanser i klimapolitikken regjeringers politikk?
5: I hvilken grad kan variasjon i lands klimaambisjoner forklares av partipolitisk konkurranse?

Prosjektet vil bygge et datasett med partiers klimaposisjoner, som dekker 20 land over to tiår med klimapolitikk. Fokuset er på industrialiserte land siden disse har de største historiske utslippene og mest ansvar for å redusere utslippene, og fordi de har etablerte (og derfor sammenlignbare) partisystemer. Statistiske analyser vil kombineres med kvalitative casestudier av Australia, Norge, Storbritannia og USA. I disse landene er det overraskende variasjoner både med tanke på klimaambisjonene og på hvor polariserte partiene er på tema. Intervjuer med politikere og samfunnsaktører, samt spørreundersøkelser av befolkningen, vil gjennomføres i hvert land.

Det empiriske omfanget, kombinasjonen av forskningsmetoder og ambisjonsnivået i prosjektet er nytt, og vil levere viktig kunnskap om klimapolitikk på et kritisk tidspunkt for menneskeheten. Funn fra prosjektet vil avsløre hvordan etablerte partisystemer responderer på nye og utfordrende samfunnsproblemer, og kaste lys over muligheter og utfordringer for politisk omstilling til lavutslippssamfunnet.

Political parties lie at the heart of climate change politics, yet their strategies and influence are woefully understudied, especially in a comparative perspective. The goal of this project is to address the lack of systematic and comparative data on political parties’ climate change positions and provide the most comprehensive analysis of the role of political parties in climate politics to date. The project research questions (RQs) are:

RQ1: How do parties position themselves on climate change, and what explains the variation?
RQ2: What is the structure of party competition on climate change in developed countries, and what explains the variation?
RQ3: What is the role of public opinion in explaining party positions (RQ1) and party competition (RQ2) on climate change?
RQ4: How do political parties’ climate policy preferences shape government policy?
RQ5: To what extent is variation in countries’ climate change ambitions explained by party competition?

To answer these questions, the project will bridge the comparative climate policy and party politics literatures. Using an innovative approach to hand-coding party manifestos, the project will create a data set of parties' climate policy preferences across 20 countries covering four election periods, encompassing over 300 parties-at-election. The focus will be on developed countries, as these are the largest emitters with the greatest responsibility to reduce emissions and because they have established (and therefore comparable) party systems. Large-N quantitative and medium-N methods will be combined with intensive case study analysis of Australia, Norway, the UK and the US. The empirical scope, mixed-methods approach and ambition of the project is novel and will deliver critical knowledge about climate politics at a vital moment in time.

Political Parties and Climate Change: Positions, Polarisation and Policy Relevance (PARTYCLIM)

Today most dictators exploit democratic institutions such as multiparty elections or legislatures to cover their autocratic rule. To carry out this form of rule, dictators need a loyal coalition of politicians to gather supporters, advance policies and win elections. While this loyalty is central to regime survival, elite divisions within authoritarian governments can induce political change. Yet, what type of divisions matter and whether such change will be democratizing are unclear. Defectors might have the resources to embolden pro-democracy groups, but they may also face repression, worsening democratization prospects. What type of divisions within the ruling elite can weaken modern autocracies? What are the mechanisms that underpin the relationship between defections and democratization?

ELITE offers a new theoretical framework, innovative data, and empirical research to identify and explain the strains and disruptions within authoritarian governments that induce democratization. It develops a theory of the elite origins of regime (in)stability, focusing on divisions within the ruling elite. ELITE builds a novel dataset on political elites’ resources and dissent strategies in 28 prominent electoral autocracies—today's most common form of autocracy. Cutting-edge mixed methods test why and how elite divisions strengthen anti-regime groups and weaken leaders' tools to stay in power. Findings will inform academic and policy debates on the processes that weaken modern dictatorships. Dr. Adrián del Río Rodríguez has broad expertise on the topic of elite politics in autocracies and methodological skills to carry out the ELITE project. The Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, will host Dr. del Río, and Prof. Carl H. Knutsen–a top international scholar in autocratic politics—will supervise him. The hosting arrangements provide excellent opportunities for networking, training, and potential for research collaboration during the MSCA fellowship.



Elite Politics in Electoral Autocracies

POSOR (Political and Societal Violence in Russia)

Det postsovjetiske Russland har et vedvarende voldsproblem. Dette kommer til uttrykk på ulike måter, fra høye drapsrater og utbredt familievold til krigsforbrytelser i forbindelse med militære konflikter. Hvis vi ser på forskjellige indekser for voldsbruk, så ligger Russland klart over de fleste andre land med avanserte økonomier. 
Hvorfor er voldsnivåene i Russland så høye, og hvordan påvirker dette landets politiske og økonomiske utvikling og dets forhold til omverdenen? POSOR undersøker disse spørsmålene ved å studere fenomenet på tre nivåer: (1) statlig bruk av vold mot interne og eksterne aktører, (2) ikke-statlige grupper og organisasjoners voldsbruk (med fokus på høyreekstreme aktører), og (3) vold i nære relasjoner, eller kjønnsbasert vold. Prosjektet er flerfaglig og vil benytte en kombinasjon av tilnærminger for å besvare spørsmålene, inkludert case-studier, dokument- og innholdsanalyse, og kvantitative metoder.

Hvorfor trenger vi ny kunnskap om vold i Russland?

Det finnes en stor forskningslitteratur som tar for seg stat og samfunn i det postsovjetiske Russland, men vold har vært et marginalt emne. Det finnes faktisk ingen systematiske undersøkelser som fokuserer både på årsakene til de høye voldsnivåene og implikasjonene for samfunnet i stort. POSOR-prosjektet tar utgangspunkt i at vold kan spille en viktig rolle både ved å forme politisk og økonomisk utvikling og å bli formet av denne. Uten å forstå de høye voldsnivåenes rolle i Russland, vil vi være dårligere i stand til å analysere landets innenrikspolitiske, utenrikspolitiske og økonomiske utvikling. Videre er det dessverre grunn til å tro at problemet vil kunne øke i årene som kommer. Uansett utfallet av krigen i Ukraina, vil den ytterligere normaliseringen av voldsbruk som denne har medført, følge det russiske samfunnet i lang tid framover.

Considerable levels of violence have been observed in Russia since the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The state has administered large-scale violence through multiple wars, violence has been a key part of the repertoire of non-state actors such as criminal organizations, vigilante groups, and political extremists, and levels of general interpersonal violence have been high. Indeed, Russia stands out from other advanced economies in several respects. In the Violent Societies Index (VSI) Russia has been ranked among the top 10 most violent societies in both the 1990s and the 2000s. In the domain of extreme-right violence for example, Russia’s average rate of fatal attacks per year (adjusted for population size) exceeds rates found in the U.S. by 500% and in Western Europe by 750% . For interpersonal violence in general, independent estimates indicate that Russia’s homicide rate exceeds that of all other European countries. Given this centrality of violence within Russia as both a tool of public policy, and as an outcome of societal tensions, it is possible that Russia will continue to follow an increasingly violent trajectory, posing an even greater threat to its neighbors and to its population. This project will therefore come at a critical time and will inform wider societal understanding of why Russia behaves as it does today, and what possibilities may lie ahead in the near future. Reports and statistics on the level of violence in Russia are relatively well known, but the causes and larger ramifications of political and societal violence in contemporary Russia remain curiously understudied. In this project, we address this gap by asking (1) how to explain the exceptionally high levels of violence in post-Soviet Russia, (2) how the problem of violence affects Russia's political and economic development, and its relationships with its neighbors, and (3) how Russia’s violence problem affects the relationship with its neighbors.

Political and Societal Violence in Russia

Latin-Amerikas unike biologiske mangfold og rike naturressurser gjør miljøpolitikk i denne regionen helt nødvendig for å nå globale miljø- og klimamål. Både Parisavtalen og Kunming-Montreal rammeverket for biodiversitet understreker statens ansvar for å vedta og styre i henhold til klima- og miljøstrategier og -planer. Men gapet mellom nødvendige miljø- og klimatiltak og iverksatt politikk øker. De kommende «kampene» innen miljøpolitikk vil være i spesifikke sektorer der etablerte aktører ligger an til å tape på strengere grønne reguleringer. De fleste land har "akilleshæl"-sektorer der gjennomslag for miljøtiltak er spesielt vanskelig, i Latin-Amerika er disse sektorene store eksportorienterte primærnæringer som produksjon av fossilt brensel, gruvedrift og industrielt landbruk. GreenLeAP vil styrke den teoretiske og empiriske forståelsen av miljøpolitikkutforming i primærindustrisektorer i Latin-Amerika, og dermed øke kunnskapen om hvordan regionen kan bidra til å nå globale miljømål. GreenLeAP vil utvikle et analytisk rammeverk for å forstå hvordan samspillet mellom ulike eliter og institusjoner muliggjør eller hindrer grønnere politikk i akilleshælsektorer i Latin-Amerika.  Vi vil benytte dette rammeverket i systematiske sammenlignende analyser av sektorer i Brasil, Chile, Colombia og Mexico. Prosjektet vil kombinere ekspertise på latinamerikansk komparativ politikk og miljøpolitikk, to sterke statsvitenskapelige forskningstradisjoner som sjelden samproduserer.

Latin America’s unique biodiversity and abundant natural resources make the region’s environmental politics indispensable for attaining global environmental targets. The Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework both emphasise states’ responsibility to adopt and govern according to climate and environmental strategies and plans, but the gap between needed environmental action and implemented policies is increasing. The coming “battles” of environmental politics will be in specific sectors where established actors stand to lose from stricter green regulations. Most countries have hard-to-abate “Achilles heel” sectors for domestic environmental action, in Latin America these are large export-oriented primary industries like fossil-fuel extraction, mining, and industrial agriculture. GreenLeAP will enhance the theoretical and empirical understanding of environmental policymaking in Achilles heel primary industry sectors in Latin America, and thereby increase the knowledge on how the region can contribute to attaining global environmental targets. GreenLeAP will develop an analytical framework for understanding how the interaction between different elites and institutions enables or hinders greening of Achilles heel sectors in Latin America, and employ this framework in systematic cross-country comparative analysis of sectors in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. The project will combine expertise on Latin American comparative politics and environmental politics, two strong political science research traditions that rarely co-produce.

Greening Achilles heel sectors: Understanding environmental policy change in Latin American Primary industries

I dagens samfunn øker mengden av data raskt, samtidig som datamaskinene har blitt stadig mer effektive og nå kan analysere og utnytte slike store datamengder i sann tid. Dette har ført til mange nye hjelpemiddel i hverdagen som for eksempel selvkjørende biler, beslutningsstøtte for leger, automatisk talegjenkjenning i TV, datamaskiner og smarttelefoner.  Alt dette er eksempler på bruk av kunstig intelligens hvor målet er å trekke ut og klassifisere viktige elementer fra store datamengder.

Hovedformålet med dette Forskningsråds-prosjektet «Raske usikkerhetsberegninger innen dyp læring avvendt til objekt-gjenkjenning i sonarbilder», er å beregne usikkerheter for dyp-lærings algoritmer og vise hvordan de kan være nyttige innen overvåking av havbunnen, både for sivile og militære formål.
Forskningen er et samarbeid mellom Forsvarets forskningsinstitutt (FFI), UiT og bedriftene Argeo og Multiconsult.

Prosjektet er en utvidelse og forsterking av det pågående Forskningsrådsprosjektet «Transforming ocean surveying by the power of DL and statistical methods» som er et samarbeid mellom UiT og næringslivet (Multiconsult og Argeo), der formålet er å klassifisere objekter på havbunnen bedre, ved bruk av kunstig intelligens.

Troverdige usikkerhetsberegninger, knyttet til klassifisering av objekter, er svært relevante i forhold til undersøkelser som Forsvarets forskningsinstitutt utfører. Det kan for eksempel være snakk om å uskadeliggjøre/fjerne gamle miner og bomber på havbunnen. Prosjektet vil bruke såkalt Bayesiansk dyp lærings-metodikk og nevrale nettverk få å gjøre i disse usikkerhets-beregningene raskere. I tillegg vil vi undersøke hvordan simulerte data kan påvirke disse beregningene.

Prosjektet tar sikte på å overføre kunnskap og ekspertise til forsvarssektoren gjennom forskning og utvikling og forskerutdanning utført av alle samarbeidspartnerne i prosjektet.

In modern society, the amount of data collected is rapidly increasing. Examples occur from self-driving cars to decision support tools in hospitals. Artificial intelligence is key to extract crucial information from the huge amounts of data. Classifiers that suggest a class affiliation based on the input characteristics of the observation, often play a central role in such tasks. The ongoing project entitled 'Transforming ocean surveying by the power of DL and statistical methods' in the IKTPLUSS program focus on development of novel AI methodology that can be successfully used in seafloor monitoring and is performed in close collaboration with the companies Argeo and Multiconsult.

The new project applying for supplementary funding will utilize the Bayesian Deep Learning methods developed by the ongoing RCN funded project to obtain reliable uncertainty estimates in classification tasks highly relevant to investigations performed by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). In addition, the new project will add to the ongoing project by pursuing sparse neural networks as a novel and particularly interesting field for speeding up uncertainty estimation in Bayesian Deep learning. Another novelty of the project is to investigate the impact of simulated data in uncertainty estimation. Finally, the project will transfer knowledge and expertise of the project to the defence sector. 
To be specific, FFI will contribute with their knowledge and experience within seafloor monitoring, efficient acquisition of data and access to highly relevant data sets.  The ongoing project will, on the other hand, contribute with reliable uncertainty estimates and efficient utilization of heterogeneous data sets. In addition, the new project will lead to novel collaborations between FFI, other academia and the companies Argeo and Multiconsult. This is expected to give large synergies and benefit FFI, academia and the companies as they are focusing on highly related problems.

Fast uncertainty estimation in deep learning applied to 
object recognition in sonar images

Midlene fra FORMNT-Formidlingsprogrammet MNT fordelt på år

Midlene fra FORMNT-Formidlingsprogrammet MNT fordelt på fylker

Midlene fra FORMNT-Formidlingsprogrammet MNT fordelt på fagområde

Seniorrådgiver

Administrative fellesfunksjoner for fagolympiadene - Stiftelsen Ungdom og Forskning

In recent years we have had a strong interest toward the development of methods for calculating higher-order molecular properties and vibrational contributions to these properties. The present proposal will seek to extend this work from scattering process es to absorption processes, and in particular to the study of vibronic effects on higher-order molecular properties.The work will be carried in close collaboration with the group of Prof.Marcel Nooijen at the University of Waterloo (Canada).

In one part of the project we will continue to develop and extend various approximations to the vibronic problem. This will in part include the development of new algorithms for solving the full vibrational problem, with the aim of increasing the size of the molecula r systems that can be handled, as well as develop faster algorithms for more approximate vibronic models, such as the Franck-Condon approximation. These developments will be made in the IBRON program system developed during the last 5 years in the researc h group of Prof.Nooijen, and the postdoc hired is expected to spend up to two years in this group before bringing the technology to Norway with a final year in the group of Prof.Ruud.

The second part of the project will be devoted to establishing the nec essary diabatization scheme in the Dalton quantum chemistry program in order to allow for the evaluation of the many properties accessible in Dalton. We also intend to extend Dalton to new higher-order properties for which vibronic effects are expected to  be important, such as Magneyic Circular Dichroism (MCD) and resonance Raman and resonance Raman optical activity. If time allows, vibronic contributions to technologically important processes such as two-photon absorption may also be considered.

Vibronic contributions to higher-order molecular properties

The research proposed in this project application complements ongoing activities on the use of chitooligosaccharides (CHOS) as environmentally friendly fungicides. CHOS inhibit chitinases, enzymatic systems that allows fungi to grow. The project focuses o n chemical approaches to production of functionalized CHOS, including the use of combinatorial chemistry. We have already set up for testing of anti-fungal activity, design, production and application of chitinases and other enzymes for the conversion of chitin and chitosan to CHOS, and advanced studies of enzyme-ligand interactions  using techniques such as mass spectrometry of non-covalent complexes, isothemral titration calorimetry and surface plasmon resonance. Naturally, isolated CHOS will have their  anti-fungal activity enhanced through modifications of functional groups. Especially, increasing the hydrophobicity of the CHOS and introducing point charges will increase the binding strength to chitinases since these to strategies are common for all en zyme ? ligand systems. Hydrophobicity will be introduced through the addition of fatty acids and alky chains. Point charges will originate from charged groups such as phosphates, sulphates, carboxylates, and quarternay amines. Screening of modified, stron g binding CHOS will take place by a newly developed method by our research group. The mixture of CHOS will be incubated with desired chitinases and the strongest binding CHOS will be detected as an enzyme ? ligand complex using mass spectrometry, and the structure of the CHOS will be determined by performing a top-down analysis in an MS-MS experiment. The strong binding CHOS will be purified using both size exclusion chromatography and affinity chromatography.

Environmentally Friendly Fungicides, Combinatorial Synthesis and Screening of Chitooligosaccharides

An application is made for a 2 years post doc position. The cooperation will primarily be between our lab in Oslo and with the lab of Directeur de Recherche CNRS, Dr. Jean-Claude Guillemin in Rennes, France. Directeur de Recherche CRNS, Dr. Jean Demaison,  Lille, will also take part in this cooperation, but to a lesser extent. 

We intend to study several unsaturated selenols, thiols, phosphines and tellurides. Most of these compounds have been synthesized by Guillemin, often for the first time. There is l ittle or no information available of the physical properties of these unsaturated compounds, which should be of general chemical interest. We also intend to study compounds of astrochemical and astrobiological interest. These compoudns will be made by Gui llemin. Microwave spectroscopy is employed in these studies, because the radioastronomical detection is in most cases made using such spectra. We have also planned to investigate N2O3, a compound of atmospheric interest, in collaboration with Demaison. An  investigation of the microwave spectrum of thioformaldehyde, an known astrochemical compund, is also planned in collaboration with Demaison and a group at Creteil, Paris.

Microwave studies of unsaturated compounds with hetero atoms, as well as molecules of interstellar and prebiotic interest

A new highly sensitive CCD Raman instrument with a CW laser and a pulsed laser has just been installed for the total cost around 8200 kNOK. The use of this Raman instrument in biological sciences, with large wavelength excitation range 205 to 1020 nm, for  obtaining specially resonances Raman is unique in the Nordic countries. At present no position or postdoctoral fellows is available for carrying out biological Raman experiments. We apply for two postdoctoral fellows and supply, they will mainly serve as  general biological resonance Raman resource persons for all universities in Norway and SCANBALT and additionally start setting up new techniques like magnetic circular dichroism at UiO. In a synergistic protein function and structure investigation effort  protein 3D structures will be examined by X-ray diffraction, in combination with high resolution optical, vibrational-Raman and paramagnetic spectroscopies with state-of-the-art functional and in vivo studies. 
Some of the direct planned experiments are 
- rRaman of several tyrosyl-radical from different sources ribonucleotide reductases p53R2 and other higher organism R2 protein; a novel Bacillus cereus R2  Also the oxygen to diferric centers charge transfer band will be investigated, as wells the holo- protein.
- Intermediate X (a Fe(IV)Fe(III)-oxygen state) in generation of the tyrosyl radical in ribonucleotide  reductases, a novel relative stable X intermediate will be studied. 
- Cytochrome cs and hemes with highly axial/anisotrop low spin (S=1/2) EP R signals will be studied in  Met-Sulfur to Fe charge transfer transitions around 690-720 nm, as well as heme core modes.
-Intermediates in myoglobin and nitric oxide synthase reaction with peroxides and oxygen, and effect of redox state change induced by  irradiation and start developing single protein crystal Raman 
- Small ligand interactions with DNA /models 
- Possibly mono-nuclear Fe proteins like AlkB and homologs as well as other mononuclear Fe protein

Personnel for biological Raman and magnetic circular dichroism studies

An interesting category of amphiphilic polymer systems are those that undergo phase transitions in response to environmental stimuli such as temperature and pH. These have been widely investigated for drug delivery, separations, and diagnostics applicatio ns. A key temperature-responsive class is based on alkyl acrylamide polymers, particularly poly(N-iso-propylacrylamide) (pNIPAAm), which at certain conditions may undergo a sharp coil-globule transition and phase separation at its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water. The LCST of such thermally sensitive polymers can usually be tuned to a desired temperature range, such as the body temperature.

Even a pNIPAAm polymer with grafted PEO chains (e.g., pNIPAAm-g-PEO) may, at elevated temperatur es, in addition to an intrachain coil-to-globule transition also undergo an interchain association to form a core-shell nanostructure with a hydrophobic pNIPAAm core and a soluble hydrophilic PEO shell. In aqueous solutions of this type of uncharged tempe rature-sensitive polymer, an intricate interplay between intrachain and interchain associations usually occurs at fairly low polymer concentration at elevated temperature. In order to suppress the interchain association, the Polymer Group at UiO has recen tly synthesized a novel charged temperature-responsive copolymer, which undergoes a sharp transition to a more open structure when the temperature is increased. This unique temperature-induced change of the polymer structure has not been reported before, and is at this preliminary stage ascribed to a delicate cooperation between charges and hydrophobic associations. This feature is interesting in connection with drug-release problems.

The aim of this project is to develop an understanding - both mechanis tic and applied - of different thermo-responsive polymers adsorbed to planar and particle substrates. Changes in structural end dynamical properties of the systems under various conditions will be examined.

Thermoresponsive Polymer Brushes on Nanoparticles and Surfaces

The principal objective is to discover and probe the chemical properties of the heaviest elements known, the transactinides.. The transactinides can only be produced artificially, since their nuclei are unstable and will disintegrate shortly after they ar e produced. They are, though, a unique testing ground for our current understanding and modelling of the elements as they lie at the extreme of the known part of the periodic table of the elements.

Thus, our current models about the chemical properties o f the elements can be tested to see if they breaks down for extremely heavy elements. For example, there are predictions that the relativistic part of the wave functions will become so dominant that it will change the classically predicted chemical proper ties. This project aims at investigating the chemical properties of the transactinides in the liquid phase, using our on-line and continuous liquid-liquid separation system SISAK.

This project is an extension of the already on-going project, NFR project number 166744, which started in January 2005. Since this project was initiated several new developments has occurred:

TASCA - a new gas-filled separator located at GSI, Darmstadt, has been built. The separator is dedicated to physics and chemistry transa ctinide experiments. The SISAK Oslo group is heavily involved, in particular in the design of the interface between the separator and chemistry apparatus. The Oslo group is the only group who have actually performed chemistry experiments on transactinides  after preseparation with such a device.

LBNL experiment campaign - we wish to perform several extensive transactinide experiments on Rf, Db and possible Sg at LBNL in 2007, in a 3-4 month long stay at LBNL.

Furthermore, of the three PhD students employ ed in 2005, one finished in November 2005, one during Summer 2006 and the last in October 2006. To keep up the momentum in the SISAK research group, it is important to employ new PhD students.

Exploring the chemistry of the heaviest elements with the automated liquid-liquid extraction system SISAK

To gain a fundamental insight into temperature responsive polymer systems, we plan to carry out an extensive investigation on some novel thermoresponsive polymers. This project consists of three parts:

1. Shear-rate dependency of inter- and intramolecula r interactions in dilute solutions of amphiphilic polymers.
2. Characterization of new amphiphilic thermo-sensitive block copolymers.
3. Interaction between hydrophobically modified polymers and polycyclodextrins.

In the first part, we want to address th e very important issue in polymer science, namely to understand the delicate interplay between intramolecular- intermolecular associations in amphiphilic polymer systems. By using different shear rates, the influence of intra or interpolymer interactions in the association process can be tuned.

In the second part, we plan to investigate some completely new thermoresponsive copolymers. Our preliminary studies reveal that these polymers exhibit some unique conformational-transition features.

In the third part, we will study how the network strength can be tuned by the formation of bridges between adjacent polymer chains through some novel polycyclodextrin compounds. The possibility of forming polycyclodextrin bridges between colloidal particles (flocculat ion) with absorbed polymer brushes will also be investigated.

This project will be carried out in cooperation with international established scientists in Norway, Sweden, and Spain. Both experimental and simulation studies with be carried out in the proj ect to gain a deeper understanding og the phenomena.

Characterization of Novel Amphiphilic Polymer Systems.

The high oil price and concern for CO2 emission make processes for conversion of natural gas to fuel and chemicals highly desirable. First generation catalysts and processes exists, UOP/Hydros MTO, Exxon/Mobile?s MTG, Haldor Topsøes TIGAS. All processes h ave a large potential for improvement, particularly regarding selectivity and deactivation.  The Catalysis groups at the University of Oslo and SINTEF in Oslo have 15 years of experience and leading knowledge in the MTO - process, including synthesis and characterisation of the related catalytic materials.  A recent major breakthrough in the fundamental understanding of acid catalysed reactions in zeolites has been achieved particularly as a result of the combination of computational and experimental studies.  We therefore now understand the mechanism of MTH reactions in zeotype materials to such a detail that we can modify, and hence improve, the materials in a planned, systematic way.  This application is for founding one PhD  student, and expenses for the support from the SINTEF group. Main activities will include:  *	Synthesis of modified CHA-type materials. *	Synthesis of new zeotype materials. *	Catalytic studies of methanol and methyl halide conversion over CHA-                type materials. *	Investigations of deactivation processes. *	Advanced characterization of acidity, (Turin, Italy) *	

Conversion of natural gas to hydrocarbons over acidic zeolite type catalysts.

The ISPAC-symposiums are arranged biannually, and are alternating between Europe and US/Canada.  The 21th symposium has been awarded to Norway. 
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology will hoist the symposium from August 5th to August 10th in 2007.  
The last symposium was hoisted in Toronto, Canada in 2005 and before that it was in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 2003.

The arrangement committee also has members from the University of Stavanger, Sør-Trøndelag University College, Chiron AS and S tatoil AS Miljø.  Thus the conference is a united effort of the Norwegian technical environments in this field of chemistry and environmental issues of PACs. 

The symposium covers most aspects of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs).  Proposed sessions i nclude:
1.	Occurrence and sources
2.	Metabolism and mutagenicity
3.	Human exposure and risk assessment
4.	Bio availability
5.	Environmental impact and biomarkers
6.	Atmospheric reactions of PACs
7.	Theoretical chemistry and modelling
8.	Formation and synt hesis
9.	Analytical methods
10.	Reference materials
11.	PACs in food

We expect between 250 and 300 participants mainly from Europe and US/Canada.

The symposium website will be at http://www.chem.ntnu.no/ISPAC21/

21th International Symposium on Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds, Trondheim, NORWAY, August 5th-10th, 2007

Nytt prosjektsammendrag:
The global demand for aluminium and aluminium alloy products is increasing. When used in the automotive sector, this material can facilitate lower fuel consumption (less CO2 emissions), enhanced human safety and can easily be inte grated in modern low-weight, clean energy engine design transport vehicles. Since secondary aluminium can be produced at significantly less energy consumption (only 5% of primary metal production), it is obvious that recycling and up-grading secondary met al to high quality alloys is influencing the total spent energy. 
Hence, aluminium scrap accumulated in the market represents a very significant bank of energy and natural source. Due to these facts, it is important to develop real flow path models for th e metal recycling cycle. The present project aims to develop such flow path models and from detailed laboratory studies one will achieve new results for improved remelting techniques at higher output and less pollution from hazardous gas emissions. Other  goals will be to compare two different recycling routes (remelt vs. direct solid state recycling) and generally, to improve in the direction of sustainable societies.

Recycling of automotive aluminium

ECNS-2007, the 4th European Conference on Neutron Scattering, will be held in Lund, Sweden from 25th to 29th June 2007. This meeting is organised on behalf of the European Neutron Scattering Association (ENSA) by the Norwegian, Danish and Swedish Neutron Scattering Associations, and Lund University.

Neutron scattering brings together many scientific disciplines, and strong activities are now seen in diverse fields such as nanoscience, biology, material science and engineering.
Our ability to study, and s ubsequently control and develop, new materials and processes can be strongly enhanced by the unique information accessible through neutron scattering experiments. Based on the experience from the previous conferences, ECNS-2007 is expected to attract a la rge number of scientists. In particular students and postdocs - including several from Norway - will obtain important training in several topics from nanoscience due to the multidisciplinary character of the conference. 

This application concerns a reque st for a moderate amount, 80000 NOK to cover a part of the the cost for organizing the conference.

European Conference on Neutron Scattering

The purpose of the project is to develop a flexible scheme for quantum-mechanical simimulations of the electronc structre of large molecules and periodic infinite systems such as crystals, implemented in a computer code. The simulations are to be carried out using self-consistent field theor: the Hartree-Fock independent-particle model and most important Kohn-Sham density-functional theory, the single most popular approach to the many-electron problem. An important feature of the proposed method is a very  high degree of flexibility, both with respect to the systems that can be treated (small and large molcules, periodic or nonperiodic), the underlying physical description (relativistic or nonrelativistic), and the properties that can be treated (geometric , electromagnetic, linear or nonlinear, static or dynamic). The central task of is the development of a highly efficient and flexible code for the generation of the Fock and Kohn-Sham matrices, which represent the effective one-electron potentials for the  electrons in the system. An essential requirement on the methods and the code  is that of linear scaling: the cost of the calculations should be proportional to the size of the system. This requirment is nontrivial: because of the complicated many-partic le interactions  in electronic systems,  care must be taken to avoid a nonlinear scaling with system size. In the present project, we shall take advantage of the  methods that have been developed over the last decade for linear scaling, developing these f urther and combining them with the know-how and technology already implemented in our own code Dalton for highly accurate calculations on small and medium-sized systems. The new code will provide a very useful set of tools for treating molecular systems a nd periodic systems, for the rigorous calculation of structure, excitation energies, nonlinear optical properties, and magnetic resonance parameters such as shielding constants and spin-spin cooupling constants.

Self-consistent field methods for periodic and non-periodic electronic systems

Department of Biotechnology at the Norwgian University of Science and Technology will, in the period of June 18-22 2006, be hosting the 8th International Hydrocolloids Conference. This is a true honour since for the first time one of these conferences is to be arranged in Europe, and we expect the number of delegates to be in the range of 175-250. 8IHC will cover all fundamental and applied aspects of biopolymers. Hydrocolloids, also known as Biopolymers, covers polymeric molecules of biological origin su ch as polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids. The ultimate goal of 8IHC is to highlight the adaptability of biopolymers towards present and forthcoming products due to their diverse chemical structure/sequence and functionality. Special emphasis will  be put on providing links between classical and evolving hydrocolloids product areas with highly expanding scientific technologies. Typical hydrocolloids product areas would be Food / Feed (inc. Functional), Neutraceuticals, Pharmaceuticals and Bio- and Veterinary Medicine. Highly expanding science areas are e.g. Bioactivity (Pre- Probiotics / Immunology), New Materials (Nanotechnology / Biopolymer   Engineering), Surface Properties (Flocculation / Emulsions) and Microstructuring (Phase Behaviour and Mol ecular Interactions).

Plenary and keynote lectures will begiven by invited and distinguished scientists, and in order to achieve a low registration fee we hereby apply to the Norwgian Research Council for partial funding of their travel and accomodation expenses, according to the enclosed conference budget.

Partial funding of Invited and Keynote Lecturers at the 8th International Hydrocolloids Conference

This project is related to a larger activity in plantwide control performed in group of Professor Sigurd Skogestad at NTNU. Plantwide control deals primarily with the structural issues of the control system, such as what to measure and control, which inpu ts to use, and how to pair these sets of variables. This is widely recognized as the most important issue for chemical process control (Seborg, Edgar and Mellichamp, 2004}, yet its theoretical basis remains quite weak, especially when compared with the la rge amount of work on optimization and controlled desigm (with the structure fixed).

We have also have close cooperation with other groups in the world, including Professor Morten Hovd at
Engineering Cybernetics at NTNU, Professor Bosgra and Grievink at TU Delft, Professor Pistikopoulos at Imperial College in London, Professor Morarti at ETH and Professor Marquardt at RWTH Achen.  In particular, there will be close interactions through the new EU-funded Marie Curie research training network, called PROMA TCH (2005-2008), which involves the groups at NTNU, Delft, Eindhoven, Aachen and Imperial College. 

The research challenges proposed for the Ph.D. projects include the following: 1. Effective offline generation and modeling of optimal solutions. 2. Model  reduction of soution. 3. Vayring setpoints. 4. Extensions of linear methods for selecting controlled variables. 5. Extensions of optimization methid for selecting controlled variables. 6. Dynamic self-optimizing control. 7. Case studies.

Near-optimal operation of chemical processes using feedback

The project undertakes fundamental investigations of hydrogen species in oxides; protons, neutral hydrogen, and hydride ions. 

The project will contribute to the long-term development and understanding of proton conductors (for fuel cells and electrolyze rs), hydrogen separation membranes, and novel hydrogen storage materials. It will also contribute to understanding the role of hydrogen in semiconducting oxides for electronics and solar cells.

The work will focus on thermodynamics, new experimental appr oaches, and seeking answers to current riddles regarding the stability of the neutral and reduced hydrogen species in oxidic environments. In particular the project will measure hydration enthalpies of acceptor-doped oxides by isothermal reaction calorime try, investigate hydration of grain boundaries, measure the concentration and thermodynamics of neutral hydrogen (atoms and/or molecules) in oxides, and measure the thermodynamics of hydride ions in oxyhydrides.

This broad approach will enable a fruitful  interdisciplinary investigation and discussion of hydrogen species in demanding cases such as wide bandgap semiconductors (e.g. ZnO), gate dielectrics (e.g. ZrO2) and novel transparent conducting oxides (e.g. Ca12Al14O33), and will integrate theory and m odelling with experimental studies. 

The project involves groups at the University of Oslo (UiO) specializing in hydrogen defects in oxides, materials thermodynamics and modelling, and on studies of hydrogen in semiconductors. It also embodies collaborat ion and visits to the other leading groups worldwide in the field.

Hydrogen in oxides

The "Shilov system" of aqueous Pt salts is capable of reacting with aliphatic and aromatic C-H bonds leading to value-added chemicals from cheap hydrocarbons. The first step in the Shilov system is the reaction of a Pt metal center with the C-H bond to pr ovide a Pt-C bond and a proton.
- This project focuses on the essential proton transfer reaction to and from the metal.
- Kinetic and mechanistic investigation on the nature of proton transfer reactions at Pt centers
- Kinetic and mechanistic investigatio n of proton migration between hydride, alkyl, and aryl groups that are bonded at the metal.
- State-of-the art multinuclear NMR and stopped-flow kinetic methods will be used.
- Fast kinetics will be investigated with the facilities of a collaborating grou p in Germany.

Proton Transfer Reactions at Pt Complexes that are Involved in Hydrocarbon C H Activation

The long-term goal of the project is to systematically study the reaction pathways and activation sequences in empirically designed multicomponent Ziegler-Natta catalysts and, based on fundamental insights, to develop more efficient polymerization catalys ts.  The focus of the predominantly synthetic work lies on the utilization of tailor-made rare-earth metal components (keywords: alkylaluminates, half-metallocenes, alkoxides, and carboxylates) for examining the alkyl, hydride, and chloride transfer capab ility of tailor-made organoaluminum (cocatalyst) components.  Rare-earth metal centers are known not only to display highly active polymerization initiators but also to provide a favorable stereoelectronic environment for the isolation and spectroscopic/s tructural characterization of Ln-Al heterobimetallic complexes which can be seen as activation intermediates.  Correspondingly, the current project will also focus on the elucidation of supported rare-earth metal-based Ziegler-Natta catalysts according to  a surface organolanthanide chemistry (SOLnC).  Such unprecedented SOLnC involves periodic mesoporous semicrystalline silica of different topology (2D/3D hexagonal versus cubic) and pore configuration (channel- versus cage-like) as well as non-porous amor phous silica (aerosil) as support materials.  Homoleptic Ln(II) and Ln(III) alkylaluminate and heteroleptic half-metallocene complexes will be employed as discrete molecularly defined organolanthanide components.  Contemporary molecular oxo surfaces such as functionalized (silylated/alkylated) silsesquioxanes and calix[n]arenes are used for SOLnC modeling.  The initiator activity of all Ziegler systems, half-metallocene and model complexes as well as grafted rare-earth surface species will be examined for  the homo- and copolymerization of ethylene, propylene, 1-hexene, butadiene, styrene, acrylonitrile, acetylene, methyl methacrylate, and oxiranes.

Rare-Earth Metal-Based Ziegler-Natta Catalysts.
Structure-Reactivity Relations in Homogeneous and Heterogenized Catalysts

Free organic radicals and radical chemistry has a great and continuous increasing interest within a large variety of research areas. In order to satisfy the crucial interaction between researchers and research groups worldwide working within this research  topic. A request was directed to Scandinavian resrechers working within the area of organic free radicals to be hosts for the forthcoming EUCHEM conference on Organic Free Radicals (year 2006). This request was accepted, and the chairmen for the conferen ce are:

Professor Hans-René Bjørsvik, e-mail: hans.bjorsvik@kj.uib.no
Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen
http://kj.uib.no/personer/bjorsvik 

Professor Lars Engman, e-mail: Lars.Engman@kemi.uu.se
Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Upp sala University
http://www.org.kemi.uu.se/Research/LarsE/LarsEngman.shtm 

Professor Troels Skrydstrup, e-mail: ts@chem.au.dk
Department of Chemistry, University of Aarhus
http://www.chem.au.dk/da/staff/?action=3&person_id=115

The invited pleanary lectur es are:
1.	JoAnne Stubbe (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 
2.	Bernard. T. Golding (University of Newcastle upon Tyne) 
3.	David J. Procter (The University of Manchester) 
4.	Kim Daasbjerg (University of Aarhus) 
5.	Mukund Sibi (North Dakota State U niversity, Fargo) 
6.	Yvan Guindon (Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal) 
7.	Philippe Renaud (University of Bern) 
8.	Takeaki Naito (Kobe Pharmaceutical University)  
9.	Samir Z. Zard (Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau) 
10.	Chryssostomos Chatgilial oglu (CNR, Bologna)
11.	Carl H. Schiesser (University of Melbourne) 
12.	Vidar R. Jensen (University of Bergen)  
13.	Thomas Carell (Ludwig Maximilians Universität München)  
14.	Leif Hammarström (Uppsala University)  
15.	Max Malacria (Université Pierre et Marie Curie- Paris VI)

EUCHEM 2006 Conference on Organic Free Radicals

It is proposed to investigate the mechanisms of heterogeneous reactions taking place between the important tropospheric constituents, NO2, NO, H2O2 and NH3 and certain simple carboxylic acids on water-ice surfaces. The systems employed will be relevant to  the characterization of "missing" atmospheric chemistry, which has been suggested to be driven by cirrus cloud particulates.  The core methodologies involved are based upon the successful water-ice, thin-film FT-RAIR studies and matrix isolation techniqu es previously performed in Professor Sodeau's laboratory. The experiments will be augmented by the complementary expertise possessed by Dr Hellebust to characterise ice surfaces and their catalytic activity by a variety of non-spectroscopic methods. Appro priate theoretical and empirical thermodynamic models will be used to consolidate the experimental results. All output information obtained will be made available to atmospheric modellers in order to improve our understanding of proposed sinks for the car boxylic acids and the release of compounds such as HONO by heterogeneous processes currently assessed to be important but with little confirmatory experimental proof.

Cirrus cloud mimic surfaces in the laboratory: organic acids, bases and NOx heterogeneous reactions

In the first stage of the project level of modeling will be selected and technical issues will
be addressed. The aim will be to use advanced representations of all components of the
CO2-amine-water system, while at the same time making sure calculations d o not become
too time consuming. Once level of modeling is settled the parameters needed for different
parts of the system will be determined.

In the second stage calculations will be carried out and results compared with available
experimental data. The  models will, if needed, be adjusted to achieve the best possible
overall agreement with experimental data.

Finally in the third stage the models will be used to obtain results and draw conclusions
from the model(s). The models are expected to provide in sight on effects of changes on
composition on equilibrium constants. The models should also provide information on
changes in equilibrium over temperature. For new solvents the model is expected to provide
insight on species formed and overall predictions  of reaction-rates and energy consumption.

The work will be carried out in cooperation with Professor Kenneth Merz. He is currently
at Pennsylvania State University but will be moving to the University of Florida. He has
done a lot of work on the modelin g in biochemistry. While the application of the modeling
is quite different in the present work the types of molecular interaction are of exactly
the same nature as found in biochemical systems. CO2, water, molecules with amine and
hydroxyl functionalitie s are all studied in biochemistry. The application of models from
biochemistry is therefore expected to be straightforward.

Molecular modeling study of CO2 absorption

Project summary
Agelasines are 7,9-dialkylpurinium salts isolated from marine sponges (Agelas sp.) and asmarines are neutral purine derivatives isolated from Raspaila sp. sponges. These two classes of purine natural products are structurally related; they  both contain terpenoid side chains. Up till now only a few agelasines and no asmarines have been synthesized. High activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the bacterium that causes tuberculosis) has been found for some agelasines and analogs. Tuberc ulosis (TB) is the major cause of death from a single infectious agent among adults in developing countries and there is estimated that 30 million people will die from TB in the next 10 years. However no new drug directed specifically against TB have been  introduced the last 30 years even though multi-drug resistant TB is a growing problem. In this project, we will develop selective syntheses of agelasines and analogs. We will continue to screen the agelasines and analogs formed for antimycobacterial acti vity and try to determine their mode of action as antibacterials. We are also interested in exploring activity against other microorganisms as well cytotoxicity (potential as anticancer compounds) and ability to act as antifouling agents. Little is known about bioactivity of asmarines. We will develop methodology for construction of the 7-membered ring in the asmarines, and try to synthesize simple asmaine analogs. The asmarine analogs formed will be subjected to the same bioactivity studies as described for the agelasine derivatives.

Synthesis of Agelasines, Asmarines and Analogs, and Evaluation of Their Bioactivities

Recently, Skogestad (2004} have also proposed a systematic method for control structure. The proposed research will focus on further improvement of this method, including the following issues:

1. Self-optimizing Control
2. Achievable decentralized perfor mance
3. Decentralized integral controllability
4. Computational complexity
5. Complexity of the control system
6. Secondary controlled variables

When completed, the utility of the proposed approach will be demonstrated through case studies, e.g. the Vin yl Acetate process. At the completion of this project, a systematic method will emerge that would help the plant engineers for control structure design of new plants as well as retrofit of existing plants. It is expected that in addition to improving cont rol, the analysis will also reveal some directions for design of energy efficient plants.

Plantwide control of chemical processes

The aim of the proposed PhD project is to develop a simulation technique, Molecular Dynamics Lattice Gas (MDLG), for simulating chemical systems consisting of self-assembling molecular complexes and macromolecules. The vision is that MDLG will become a co rner stone in an effort to create a multi-scale simulation platform, applicable to systems exhibiting a variety of life-like properties, such as: self-assembly, metabolism, self-replication, self-organization, and evolution.
	The PhD student will work wit hin a large scientific community centred around the EU funded integrated project PACE (Programmable Artificial Cell Evolution). The goal of the PACE project is to create an artificial proto-cell in the laboratory. The complex systems group at Chalmers, wh ere the student will be located, is a main node in the PACE program, responsible for theoretical investigations, analytical and computational. The project is not directly tied to the PACE project, but benefits greatly from being integrated in a large inte rnational program where the developed techniques immediately can be tested and compared to other simulations as well as experimental results. 
	The project will be a collaboration between three locations: Kristian Lindgren and Martin Nilsson at the comple x system group at Chalmers will be the home institution; Steen Rasmussen, currently at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a partner in the PACE project, will act as external supervisor. Ole Mauritsen at the University of Odense will also be external super visor, and Nils Baas at NTNU is a third external supervisor. Prof. Lindgren will be the main supervisor, and Dr. Nilsson will be active supervisor. Prof. Mauritsen is head of the national center of excellence in biomembrane physics (MEMPHYS), and also a p artner in the PACE project.

Molecular Dynamics Lattice Gas

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) are rapidly growing techniques for the ultra-trace analytical determination of stable and long-lived isotopes. Both methods have a wide potential within environm ental science, including ecosystem tracers and radioecological studies. For AMS, the proposed project will involve investigations on both heavy and light element analysis. AMS has only recently been applied to the determination of heavy elements (Pu-isoto pes, U-isotopes, Np-237, Ra-isotopes, Th), and method optimisation and validation, particularly for environmental samples, needs to be documented. AMS determination of Cl-36 and Ni-59 has been carried out within geological studies. Together with Tc-99, th ese long-lived radionuclides are also important, yet little studied, components of radioactive waste management. Hence the project will investigate potential applications of AMS to their analysis in contaminated areas, focusing on improvement of Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecological Risk Assessment.  ICP-MS is a more widespread technique compared to AMS, but still offers advantages over routine counting methods. In addition to intercomparison of AMS and ICP-MS (IPM has already developed methods for Pu-isotopes and Tc-99), ICP-MS will be applied for sc reening of samples for AMS determination, and documentation of matrix interferences.    The project builds on a five year collaboration between NLH/IPM and the Australian National University on the development and application of advanced MS techniques for the analysis of long-lived radionuclides, with the intention of extending this collabor ation to include other exotic radionuclides, instigating collaborations with other AMS facilities (Zurich) and demonstrating novel applications within environmental studies.

Developement and application of accelerator mass spectrometry for the environmental study of low level, long-lived radionuclides

The rate of multidrug-resistant infections is rapidly rising. Cationic antibacterial peptides are both active against resistant pathogens and have low propensity for resistance development, but due to their unfavourable medicinal properties cationic antib acterial peptides have yet been a limited clinical success. We have found that introduction of non-genetically coded amino acids and other lipophilic modifications opens the opportunity for development of extremely short and highly active antibacterial pe ptides with improved medicinal properties. The present project is aimed towards finding novel methods of avoiding proteolytic degradation of antibacterial peptides by an integrated medicinal chemistry approach. A majority of the work outlined in the proje ct is priented into adaption or development of new synthetic methods for solid phase diversity library preparation. Strong interaction with computational biologists and medicinal chemists is however emphasised.

Antimicrobial peptides targeted against multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus with engineered proteolytic stability.

As one of very few research group around the world,  MEMFO (=Membranforskning) research group at Institute of Chemical Engineering, NTNU, has for about ten years worked on the development of stable membranes for the separation of aggressive gases such as Cl2 or HCl from gas mixtures. Both of these chemicals are widely used within process industry, and the potentials for applications are enormous. The fundamental knowledge acquired over the years has lead to an understanding on how such membranes now can b e tailored for the separation of these gases. Very promising results have been achieved with pore tailored glass membranes surface modified with perfluorinated compounds. These materials have proved to be stable towards the aggressive gases.
The proposed project will focus on hybride materials ("mixed matrix") with physical incorporation of glass fillers into perfluorinated polymers; basically as microporous surface modified glass particles or crushed glass hollow fibres.  The choice of polymer and glass fillers will be based on the knowledge on transport mechanisms of Cl2 and HCl, as well as miscibility and separation properties of the composite materials. The membrane will be characterised for separation properties (single and mixed gases), and simulati ons will be performed for a chosen process.


Development of hybride membrane materials (mixed matrix membranes) for separation of aggressive gases

The main objective of this project is to improve the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern droplet coalescence and vesicle fusion. Droplet coalescence in oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions is crucial in many fields: A key challenge fo r the oil industry is to separate water droplets from the oil phase. Conversely, the food and pharmaceutical industries usually need to prevent separation. The stability of these emulsions is controlled by adding surfactants that self-assemble on the oil/ water interface and modify the coalescence barrier. Choosing surfactants that change this barrier in the desirable direction is a principal problem in emulsion science. Vesicle fusion is fundamentally related to droplet fusion. This process has exciting a pplications such as liposome-based drug delivery as well as being essential for cell life. 

We propose here a fundamental study of droplet and vesicle fusion intermediate states. The emphasis will be on understanding how the fusion free energy barriers d epend on the structure of the amphiphiles that constitute the mono- or bilayers. To achieve this, we will use molecular simulations and model amphiphiles that allow for simple variations in structure such as hydrophilic/hydrophobic affinity, chain length,  and branching. We will study droplet fusion along a reaction coordinate that includes the initial rupture of the two monolayers, formation of a channel between the droplets, and expansion of its radius. Vesicle fusion proceeds via multiple metastable sta tes. To enable a detailed study of unstable states we will use novel biased sampling methods. We will calculate the free energy along a reaction coordinate and predict the fusion energy barrier. The focus will be on how variations in amphiphilic structure  affect the fusion barrier, and how additives can lower this barrier. This knowledge will provide a better basis for choosing and designing surfactants with a desired fusion barrier.

Molecular simulation of droplet fusion intermediates

Understanding the physico-chemical fate and bioavailability of metals requires knowledge of the forms that the metals occur in (the speciation). Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) is a  technique for passive sampling of metals and it has in situ spec iation capabilities in that it collects only free metal ions and labile metal complexes. The fraction of metal complexes that will be collected depends on their rates of diffusion and their kinetic characteristics. This means that a precise understanding of what DGT measures requires an appreciation of the dissociation kinetics of complexes in solution.
For any one ligand , the rate of dissociation of complexes of metals in the lanthanide series is expected to show a regular decrease across the series of 15 metals. This property of the lanthanide complexes can be exploited in a study of the capability of DGT to discriminate between complexes with different kinetic characteristics, provided that suitable ligands can be found. The criteria is that the ligan ds form so strong bonds with the lanthanides that the rate of dissociation will affect the uptake of lanthanides in the DGT sampler. Influence of pH and ionic strength will be tested and experiments with synthetic and natural organic ligands  will be perf ormed. Such information is necessary to assess the applicability of DGT  to field conditions, as its in situ deployment could be used to obtain conditional kinetic information.

Investigation of the dissolution kinetics of lanthanide complexes with the technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT)

The design of molecule-based storage systems and switches is an important area in modern materials chemistry. Transition metal complexes exhibiting spin crossover behaviour is one group of molecules which has potential in the development of molecular elec tronic switches and displays. Spin crossover compounds are defined as transition metal complexes that change electronic state after an external application. A temperature dependent transition is the classical example of a spin crossover, but also change i n pressure or irradiating the compound might trigger a spin crossover. 
Bistability, where two different phases are stable at the same temperature, is obtained if the compound shows hysteresis effects. Cooperativity between the metal centres seems to be a n important factor in thermal hysteresis. Intermolecular effects such as solvents, anion, hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacking can influence the cooperativitiy in a mononuclear metal complex. It is has been proposed that in polynuclear the cooperativity an d hysteresis effect should be larger. In this project I will investigate this hypothesis. 
I will be working with Fe(II), Fe(III) and Co(II) complexes. The N-donor ligands that will be used are commercial available or can be synthesised through one-steps reactions. Bridging ligands that can give dinuclear and polynuclear compounds have been carefully chosen. Together with end-ligands the transition metal complexes showing spin crossover will be obtained. When the complexes undergo a spin transition a stru ctural change will also occur. This structural change will be investigated with single-crystal x-ray diffraction. Magnetic susceptibility changes will be investigated with collaborating groups in Sweden and Australia.

Polynuclear spin crossover compounds of Fe(II), Fe(III) and Co(II) with aromatic N-donor ligands

The principal objective is to discover and probe the chemical properties of the heaviest elements known, the transactinides.. The transactinides can only be produced artificially, since their nucleuses are unstable and will disintegrate shortly after they  are produced. They are, though, a unique testing ground for our current understanding and modelling of the elements as they lie at the extreme of the known part of the periodic table of the elements. 
	Thus, our current models about the chemical properti es of the elements can be tested to see if they breaks down for extremely heavy elements. For example, there are predictions that the relativistic part of the wave functions will become so dominant that it will change the classically predicted chemical pr operties. 
	This project aims at investigating the chemical properties of the transactinides in the liquid phase, using our on-line and continuous liquid-liquid separation system SISAK. In the project period the focus will be aimed at extending and expand ing our investigation of rutherfordium (Z=104) and initiate work on dubnium (Z=105). The dubnium development work will be a joint effort between the SISAK collaboration and the heavy-element research-group collaboration between Lawrence Livermore National  Laboratory, USA, the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Dubna, Russia, and several other European laboratories. The resulting chemistry will be used both for SISAK chemistry studies of short-lived dubnium-isotopes and for searching for long-lived dubnium-isotopes at the end of the decay chains from elements 115 and 113. 

Work to develop a liquid-phase chemistry to study hassium (Z=108) is also intended as part of the current project. At last, an Sg experiment with a three-stage separation system will be attempted.

Important new capabilities for SISAK will be developed as part of this project: Digital sampling and real-time analysis of detector pulses and simultanueous detection of both phases.

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Administrative fellesfunksjoner for fagolympiadene - Stiftelsen Ungdom og Forskning

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