Securing data transfer from OT to IT in Norwegian hydropower

Norske vannkraftselskaper bruker i økende grad data fra sine operasjonelle teknologisystemer (OT), med datakraften tilgjengelig i informasjonsteknologisystemer (IT) som en driver for utviklingen. Bruken krever sammenkobling av moderne IT-systemer og tradisjonelle OT-systemer, noe som øker selskapenes angrepsflate. Fordelene med sammenkoblingen anses av selskapene til å være større enn ulempene. Ved å overføre data fra komponenter i et vannkraftverk, for eksempel fra en turbin eller generator, kan komponentenes ytelse overvåkes for å tidlig oppdage avvik. Det gjør det mulig å planlegge forebyggende vedlikehold og forhindre utilsiktet driftsstans i kraftverk, samt forstå hvordan forebygge og håndtere cyberangrep. Nettverkene som brukes til å overføre data fra OT til IT er ulikt designet i de fire norske vannkraftselskapene som er intervjuet som del av oppgaven. Rammeverkene IEC 62443-3 og NIST SP 800-82 har blitt studert med fokus på hvordan de foreslår at nettverk bør utformes for bruksområdet. Selv om ingen av rammeverkene foreslår eksplisitte løsninger, kommer de begge med forslag til flere sikkerhetsmekanismer som bør være en del av selskapenes nettverk. Denne oppgaven presenterer et forslag til nettverksdesign som kan bistå norske selskaper i å sikre sine nettverk. Designet presenterer hvordan selskaper kan utforme nettverkene sine og hvilke sikkerhetsmekanismer som bør inkluderes i overføringen av sensordata fra OT til IT. Det foreslås at data fra SCADA-systemet utnyttes, noe det i stor grad gjøres i dag, samt at det opprettes et separat sensornettverk. Nøkkelkomponenter i forslaget er brannmurer og nettverksdioder. Det foreslåtte nettverksdesignet har blitt validert gjennom oppfølgingsintervjuer med norske vannkraftselskaper, hvor deres tilbakemeldinger har ført til justeringer på forslaget. Oppgaven foreslår også hvordan sikkerhetsovervåkning kan designes basert på det foreslåtte nettverksdesignet.Norwegian hydropower companies are increasingly utilizing data from their operational technology (OT) systems, with the computing power available in information technology (IT) systems as a driver for the trend. This utilization requires interconnecting modern IT systems with traditional OT systems, which increases companies' attack surface. However, the companies deem the benefit of this interconnection to outweigh the risk. By transferring data from components in a hydropower plant, for instance from a turbine or generator, components' performance can be monitored and analyzed to early detect deviations. This enables the companies to plan preemptive maintenance, and possibly avoid outages on their plants as well as understand and plan how to deal with attacks. Networks used to transfer data from OT to IT are designed differently in the four Norwegian hydropower companies interviewed as part of this thesis. The frameworks IEC 62443-3 and NIST SP 800-82 have been studied as part of the thesis and how they suggest networks should be designed for this use case. While neither framework provide an explicit solution, both suggest several security mechanisms that companies should implement. To aid Norwegian hydropower companies, a suggested network design has been created. The design present how companies can design their networks and which security mechanisms should be included in the transfer of sensor data from OT to IT. The suggestion proposes that companies utilize data from the SCADA system as most already do, and suggest that a separate sensor network should be included as well. Key security components include firewalls and network diodes. The suggested network design has been validated through follow-up interviews with Norwegian hydropower companies and refined based on their feedback. The thesis also suggests how security monitoring features can be designed based on the suggested network design

Activation of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) retinoid X receptors by organic tin compounds

Masteroppgave i biologiBIO399MAMN-HAVSJMAMN-BI

Information Technologies for Cognitive Decline

Information technology (IT) is used to establish a diagnosis and provide treatment for people with cognitive decline. The condition affects many before it becomes clear that more permanent changes, like dementia, could be noticed. Those who search for information are exposed to lots of information and different technologies which they need to make sense of and eventually use to help themselves. In this research literature and information available on the Internet were systematically analyzed to present methods used for diagnosis and treatment. Methods used for diagnosis are self-testing, sensors, Virtual Reality (VR), and brain imaging. Methods used for treatment are games, websites with information and media, Virtual Reality (VR), sensors, and robots. The resulting concept of knowledge was the basis of an artifact whose main goal was to present the facts to the broad public. This implied that a user-friendly artifact was developed through three iterations using the Design Science framework. A total of nine users and IT usability experts have evaluated the artifact returning the SUS score of 85,83 for users and 87,5 for IT usability experts. Nielsen´s heuristics were assessed by IT usability experts only, returning an average score of 4,28. The general response was positive regarding both the content and the attempt to present methods used in cognitive decline. It reminds to be seen how to bring this knowledge to those who are most affected by the decline.Masteroppgave i informasjonsvitenskapINFO390MASV-INF

A Pictorialist Practice: The Life and Times of Thelma Kent

Thelma Kent was a well-known pictorialist photographer of her day, highly regarded for her photographs of the landscape of the South Island. Born in 1899, she was active in the decades of the 1920s and 1930s and throughout the war years before her early death in 1946. Her short life encapsulates a fascinating period in the history of New Zealand photography and focuses this thesis on to a previously little studied window. Kent reflected a lot of the dominant ideals and passions of photographic practice and thus becomes an exemplar of her times. Only a small amount of research has previously been attempted on Kent‘s life and work because fragmentary photographic archives yielded few clues. I solved this by concentrating on her published photographs and writings in the nation‘s newspapers and magazines, which proved to be extensive, and provided new insights in to photographic practices of the era. I also used the tools of the biographer; electoral rolls, directories, and interviews with individuals with links to Kent to enable a broader view of my subject. Chapter one looks at Kent‘s early years and examines the biographical methods involved in researching an individual‘s life. Chapter two explores Kent‘s love of travel to remote corners of the South Island to capture photographs. These images fed the nation‘s craze for travel and recreation in an era where new forms of transport such as cars and rail opened up the countryside to droves of ordinary New Zealanders. Chapter three delves into Kent‘s more adventurous trips, particularly to regions in the Southern Alps, and looks at her written accounts and photographs from these journeys. Chapter four shows Kent‘s involvement with camera clubs, photographic salons and the paths that a pictorialist photographer could take to gain national and international exposure. The final chapter looks at Kent mature career during the war years, a time when photographers faced challenges to their practices in terms of limitations of materials and subject matter

Morlille kan ikke flyve: Natursproglig semantik og datamater

This paper deals with natural language (NL) semantics an the computer. It presents two major theoretical vicwpoints in linguistic semantics: representational and denotational. In linguistic theory, these two issues are mostly understood as mutually exclusive, as can be seen from Chomskyan and Montague Grammar. The paper discusses representational semantics in connection with the autonomous syntax approach of mainstream transformational grammar, denotational semantics in connection with the model-theoretic approach of Montague grammar. In the next step, I consider the implementation of model-theoretic NL comprehension systems on the computer. In the present context, they are viewed principally as a means to make experimental studies in the formalizations of NL. It is shown that the correct handling of referential NL terms in such systems can be achicved only if these systems combine methods and techniques from both types of semantics. Finally, the cognitive meaning of the concept of computer understanding is touched upon.This paper deals with natural language (NL) semantics an the computer. It presents two major theoretical vicwpoints in linguistic semantics: representational and denotational. In linguistic theory, these two issues are mostly understood as mutually exclusive, as can be seen from Chomskyan and Montague Grammar. The paper discusses representational semantics in connection with the autonomous syntax approach of mainstream transformational grammar, denotational semantics in connection with the model-theoretic approach of Montague grammar. In the next step, I consider the implementation of model-theoretic NL comprehension systems on the computer. In the present context, they are viewed principally as a means to make experimental studies in the formalizations of NL. It is shown that the correct handling of referential NL terms in such systems can be achicved only if these systems combine methods and techniques from both types of semantics. Finally, the cognitive meaning of the concept of computer understanding is touched upon

Benefits of Volunteerism and Quality of Life: A Norwegian Perspective

This transcript highlights an empirical undertaking of the relationships between the benefits of volunteerism and individual’s quality of life in the context of an international sport event in Norway. In-depth interview is the research method gathering specific data in respond to the three research questions proposed by the study, entailing (1) the benefits of volunteerism, (2) the interplay between volunteerism and socially responsible behavior, and (3) the derived experiences from volunteerism. The venue of volunteerism is the FIS Ski Flying World Championships 2022 in Vikersund, Norway. This investigation finds that through their participation in volunteerism individuals could resonate with a range of benefits relating to both hedonic and eudemonic ends. It epitomizes the association of the above benefits with individual’s the quality of life by Maslow’s need theory, reverberating the three levels of needs of the theory (i.e., love/belongingness, self-esteem, and self-actualization). Further, the study reveals those volunteers from the host community particularly cherish volunteerism as a culturally-bond desire, looming a socially responsible temptation to community building. At the end, this study suggests two essential directions for future research: (1) evaluating the benefits sought among different cohorts of participants and (2) centering on the relative importance of each respective benefit concerning its association with the perceived quality of life.acceptedVersio