Using open vs. proprietary standards when developing applications for mobile devices

This thesis discusses the possibilities and limitations when developing mobile ap- plications natively vs. HTML5. Research has been carried out to understand how mobile devices can be utilized to its fullest when running applications, and a native iPad application was developed to help in discovering unforeseen challenges. It was developed with a client-server architecture to decrease the amount of work it would take to implement the application natively as a client for all the different mobile platforms.The native approach combined with the client-server architecture is not cross platform by nature, but the study shows that its benefits outweighs the limitations in many cases. It is also shown that time- and cost of the development of an appli- cation favours the HTML5 approach. HTML5 was concluded to be a solution that solves the cross platform problem, but it lacks both performance and API access. However, the type of application developed should be the deciding factor of what solution to choose

Designing Software to Raise Cyber Security Awareness in Developing Countries

Innføringen av IKT og digitale verktøy har vært en akselerator for innovasjon og utvikling de siste tiårene. I utviklingsland er tilgjengeligheten av digitale verktøy og internettilgang økende. Koronapandemien illustrerte hvordan IKT kan påvirke sektorer som utdanning og helse. Med økende digital tilgang, dukker imidlertid negative aspekter forbundet med cyber sikkerhet opp. I velutviklede land er utfordringer knyttet til cybersikkerhet anerkjent. Den samme bevisstheten har imidlertid ikke blitt prioritert i utviklingsland. En økt tilstedeværelse på internett, krever økt oppmerksomhet rundt risikoene som aktivitet på internett utgjør. Særlig er de yngre generasjonene i utviklingsland utsatt. Målet med dette masterprosjektet er å undersøke statusen for forskning innen bevissthet rundt cybersikkerhet i utviklingsland, samt å designe og utvikle en applikasjon for å øke bevisstheten rundt cybersikkerhet for unge mennesker i utviklingsland. Ved å introdusere en applikasjon med dette formålet, kan dens innvirkning utforskes. Et systematisk litteraturstudie ble gjennomført i den innledende fasen av prosjektet, for å analysere litteratur relatert til forskningsfeltet. Litteraturstudiet identifiserte 18 primærstudier. For å akkompagnere funnene fra litteraturstudiet, ble det gjennomført semistrukturerte intervjuer med eksperter innenfor forskningsfeltet. Basert på funnene fra den innledende fasen, ble en fungerende prototype for en digital plattform designet og utviklet gjennom et samarbeid med Leap Learning. Prototypen ble deretter testet på deltakere som representerte prosjektets målgruppe. Observasjon og intervju ble brukt som datagenereringsmetoder for å evaluere prototypen. Funnene viser at den utviklede prototypen ga deltakerne ny kunnskap og et høyere bevissthetsnivå for cybersikkerhet. I tillegg ble det identifisert fire faktorer for å sikre en vellykket opplæring av cybersikkerthetbevisshet i utviklingsland. Fremtidig forskning kan anvende disse anbefalt faktorene når forsking på cybersikkerhet i en kontekst med utviklingsland utføres. Nøkkelord: Cybersikkerhetbevisshet, utviklingsland, ungdom, unge voksne, digital kompetanse, programvareutvikling, systematisk litteraturstudieThe introduction of ICTs and digital tools has been an accelerator for innovation and development for the past decades. In less-developed countries, the availability of digital tools and access to the internet is increasing. The Covid-19 pandemic illustrated how ICTs could impact sectors like education and health. However, negative aspects within the field of cyber security emerge with increasing online access. Cyber security challenges are well recognised in developed countries. However, cyber security awareness has not been prioritised in less-developed countries. An increased online presence demands increasing attention to the risks that online presence presents, to which the younger generations in developing nations are especially exposed. The objective of this master thesis project is to investigate the current status of research within the field of cyber security awareness in developing nations and to design and develop an application for raising cyber security awareness for young people living in these areas. By introducing an application for this purpose, its impact and limitations can be explored. A systematic literature review was conducted in the preliminary phase to analyse related literature within the field of research. The literature review identified 18 primary studies. To accompany the findings from the systematic literature review, semi-structured interviews with experts within the field of research were conducted. Based on the findings from the preliminary phase, a working prototype for a digital platform was designed and developed through a collaboration with Leap Learning. The prototype was then tested on participants representing the project’s target group. The data generation methods used for evaluating the prototype were observations and interviews. The findings show that the developed prototype did provide participants representing the target group with new knowledge and a higher awareness level of cyber security. Additionally, four factors for successfully educating cyber security awareness in developing countries were identified. Future research can apply these recommended factors when conducting research in a developing country context. Keywords: Cyber Security Awareness, Developing Countries, Adolescents, Young Adults, Digital Literacy, Software Development, Systematic Literature Revie

How Corruption Affects Vulnerability to Radicalization into Violent Extremism: Examining the Case of Kosovo’s Foreign Fighters

This thesis seeks to examine how corruption affects the vulnerability to radicalization into violent extremism by examining the process of radicalization, what makes individuals vulnerable to this process, and how these vulnerabilities are affected by corruption. The assumptions made are further examined through the case of Kosovo. Findings made in this thesis suggest that while corruption is not the main driver for radicalization into violent extremism, it has an impact on several socio-economic factors that can create an environment in which people become more vulnerable to violent extremist narratives and the group dynamics of radical and violent extremist groups. These socio-economic factors, called “vulnerability factors” in this thesis, include a lack of good quality education, a lack of employment and economic opportunities and lack of social trust. Using theory and the case of Kosovo, this thesis further argues that corruption can affect these vulnerability factors in a number of ways, such as syphoning funds that were meant for education into private investments, and by affecting the labour market through widespread nepotism and lack of foreign investments. Corruption can also cause isolation and polarization in a society by weakening the trust in state institutions, leading to frustrated expectations and a feeling of hopelessness which are used by radical and violent extremist groups that utilizes grievances created or facilitated by these vulnerability factors in their recruitment. The challenge of violent extremism and radicalization can therefore be seen as a symptom of wrong or lacking development, further exacerbated by high levels of corruption. Because of these consequences, this thesis argues that corruption needs to be seen as a security issue and that incorporation of anti-corruption efforts should be included in strategies that relate to countering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism, and in the academic discourse on the topic

Intention to comply with food safety messages in a crisis as a function of message source and message reliability

A key role of public relations is to manage crises, unexpected yet unpredictable events that cause emotional and physical harm (Coombs, 2007). Among the challenges in handling a crisis effectively is dealing with the various media in which information is presented. Because the use of social media in a crisis is a relatively new phenomenon, further understanding of the challenges and opportunities of these media is warranted. Part of meeting this challenge requires precise modeling of consumer responses to safety messages. To remedy gaps in our understanding of social media and food safety crisis communications, consumer intent to comply with a food safety message was evaluated within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991). Superimposed on the TPB intention model were possible moderator variables of message source (professional versus user-generated) and message reliability (confirmed versus unconfirmed information). Three focus groups provided background for the construction of a research instrument according to guidelines specified by Francis, Eccles, Johnston, Walker, Foy, et al. (2004). A 2x2 experimental design with four scenarios (message source x reliability), and realism checks of the scenarios were conducted. A pilot test with 130 undergraduate university students preceded administration of the instrument to a representative U.S. consumer panel of 400 participants. Results indicated that intent to comply with a food safety message was higher in response to messages in professional sources than in user-generated sources, but that the majority of this effect could be explained by participant age, which in turn predicted use of social media. Message reliability did not affect intent to comply—confirmed and unconfirmed messages had similar effects on intent to comply. All aspects of the TPB were confirmed by the current results with the exception of perceived behavioral control, which was so consistently strong that it was unable to predict variations in intent to comply with a food safety message. Consequently, the current data support the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) rather than the TPB. Implications of the results for public relations and crisis communications, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research are discussed

Designing Cybersecurity Awareness Solutions for the Young People in Rural Developing Countries: The Need for Diversity and Inclusion

Cybersecurity challenges and the need for awareness are well-recognized in developed countries, but this still needs attention in less-developed countries. With the expansion of technology, security concerns are also becoming more prevalent worldwide. This paper presents a design and creation research study exploring which factors we should consider when designing cybersecurity awareness solutions for young people in developing countries. We have developed prototypes of mini-cybersecurity awareness applications and conducted a pilot study with eight participants (aged 16-30) from Gambia, Eritrea, and Syria. Our findings show that factors like the influence of culture and social constructs, literacy, and language competence, the way of introducing cybersecurity terms and concepts, and the need for reflection are essential to consider when designing and developing cybersecurity awareness solutions for target users in developing countries. The findings of this study will guide future researchers to design more inclusive cybersecurity awareness solutions for users in developing countries.Comment: 17 page

Australian employer perceptions of unprofessional social media behaviour and its impact on graduate employability

Social media has become a tool used for the process of employee recruitment in a range of industries. The technology is utilised by job candidates and by employers and job-recruiters to screen and source suitable staff for their organisations. Research has investigated issues relating to ethics, privacy and accuracy regarding employers’ use of social media to screen prospective employees. Yet, limited research has been conducted to investigate employer perceptions of prospective/current employees’ unprofessional social media behavior. Our study involved a survey of 396 Australia employers from a range of industries to explore the influence of job-candidates’ social media presence on employer decision-making and the most unprofessional social media behaviors according to employers. Our investigation found 82% of employers are influenced by a job candidate’s social media presence and using social media to intentionally cause harm to others was perceived by employers as the most unprofessional social media behavior. The findings from this study will assist educators in guiding university students and graduates to meet industry expectations as professionals and provide scholars with new knowledge as to what is deemed to be unacceptable behavior in a professional context at this point in the evolution of social media.   &nbsp

Rabia og Hadewijch - likhet i ulikhet? : i hvilken grad er mystikken hos sufisten Rabia al-Adawiyya og kristne Hadewijch av Antwerfen uttrykk for en fellesbetoning av kjærlighetens betydning i gudsforholdet?

Problemstillingen lyder: Likhet i ulikhet. I hvilken grad er mystikken hos Rabia al-Adawiyya og Hadewijch av Antwerpen uttrykk for en fellesbetoning av kjærlighetens betydning i gudsforholdet? Det er kjærligheten som står i sentrum for studiet, og det er kjærligheten fra mennesket til Gud og fra Gud til mennesket det gjelder. I hvilken grad det kan finnes noe i Rabias opplevelse og forståelse av den guddommelige kjærligheten som synes å kunne sammenliknes med Hadewijch erfaringer og hvilken ”plass” har dette i deres respektive gudsforhold

Integrating Evidence-Based Practices into Public Relations Education

Public relations continue to play an essential and changing role in society, requiring the regular reassessment of the education of future public relations practitioners. Academics and practitioners often differ in how they view the public relations field, how they define the discipline, and how they view the major pedagogical approaches. This paper explores the impact of integrating three different perspectives in public relations education, including practitioner perspective, client perspective, and the evidence-based perspective. Results from students’ reaction papers and an online questionnaire suggest that integrating an evidence-based approach improves the competence and clarity of communications counsel provided by aspiring practitioners

Reprogramming somatic nuclei to a pluripotent state with cell-free extracts

The live birth of cloned animals has shown that somatic cells are not irrevesibly committed to their fate. A functional reprogramming of differentiated cells to pluripotency may present beneficial applications in regenerative medicine. A differentiated cell can be reprogrammed to pluripotency by transfer into enucleated oocytes, fusion with a pluripotent cell or forced expression of pluripotency genes. Some of these genes can be substituted by proteins, suggesting that reprogramming cells by non-genetic means is possible. The main hypothesis of this thesis is whether the introduction of factors derived from pluripotent cells into somatic target cells epigenetically and functionally could reprogram the target cell to pluripotency. This thesis reports the reprogramming of function of human kidney epithelial 293T cells treated with extracts from human embryonal carcinoma cells and of mouse NIH3T3 cells treated with extract from mouse embryonal stem cells (ESC). Morphological observations, genome-wide gene expression analysis, RT-qPCR analysis, immunolabeling, in vitro differentiation assays, locus-specific assessments in DNA methylation and post-translational histone modifications, as well as changes in surface markers and intracellular protein expression analysed by mass spectrometry are consistent with long-lasting alterations in somatic cell fate as a result of treatment with pluripotent cell extracts. Extract-mediated reprogramming is non-genetic and thus may be more easily ethically amd medically acceptable than methods using viruses or human eggs