Vikinger, Guder og Videospill

Sammendrag Denne oppgavens interessepunkt er å se på hvordan norrøn mytologi og religion blir brukt i videospill med hovedfokus på Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Hoved spørsmålet handler om hvordan Ubisoft og Ubisoft Montréaø har brukt norrøn mytologi og religion i Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, og i hvilken grad norrøn mytologi og religion er til stede i spillets fortelling. Jeg diskuterer dette interessepunktet og spørsmålet gjennom å se på bruken av spillselskapets promoteringsmateriale i form av trailere sluppet før spillets slippdato, og intervjuer gjort både før og etter spillet har kommet ut. Jeg bruker også mye hentet material fra spillet selv, og setter bruken av myter og mytologi opp mot hverandre for å forstå Ubisoft sine bestemmelser angående fortellingen og hvordan spillselskapet har brukt, endret og sveiset sammen disse mytene for fortellingens del. Jeg avslutter det hele med å se på bruken av volver og seidkvinner, samt tilfeldig religiøsitet som man finner i spillets åpne verden, for å komme til buns i forskningsspørsmålet. Jeg konkluderer med at til tross for Ubisoft og Ubisoft Montréal sin bestemmelse om å skape et spill som er mer rotfestet i virkeligheten, enn i myter, mytologi og religion, har spillselskapet klart å bruke disse elementene på en egen måte, men samtidig gjort dem gjenkjennelige for personer som har allerede lest dem eller planlegger å lese dem, der det eneste problemet ligger i at store deler av den mytologiske delen ligger bak en valgfri del av spillet som ligger i tråd med Ubisoft sitt ønske om å lage et spill som ligger nærmere virkeligheten. Jeg konkluderer også med at Ubisoft og Ubisoft Montréal sin bruk av religion ligger på den svakere siden, men da ett av målene deres va å få verden til å føles levende på, og å få nordmennene til å oppføre seg som at de faktisk tror på mytene og mytologien, er det feil å si at selskapet har gjort en feil i det valget.Abstract This thesis main point of interest is to see how Norse mythology and religion is used in videogames with the main focus being on the game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The main research question is about how Ubisoft and Ubisoft Montréal have used Norse mythology and religion in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and to what degree Norse mythology and religion is present in the games story. I discuss this point of interest and research question through looking at usage of the game companies’ promotion material in the forms of trailers released before the games release, and interviews done both before and after the games release. I have also collected material from the game itself, and putting the use of myths and mythology up against it to understand Ubisofts decisions when it comes to the story, and how the company have used, changed and glued together these myths for the wholeness of the game story. I end it all by looking at the use of the volva and seidrwomen, while also taking in the casual religiosity found in the games open world to conclude my research question. I conclude that despite Ubisoft and Ubisoft Montréals decision to create a game that is rooted more in reality than in myth, mythology and religion, they have managed to use these elements in their own way, while simultaneously making sure they stay recognizable to the people how have read the myths or are planning too. The only problem is that most of the mythological element in this game is hidden behind a optional part of the game, though it stay within the line that Ubisoft has already made for themselves with creating a game that borders more on reality than in myth. I also conclude that Ubisoft and Ubisoft Montréals use of religion is on the weaker side, but because their goal was to create a world where religion was more in the background and more about what people around you believed in in a organic and natural way, it would be wrong to say that they have made an actual mistake

HyperProv: Decentralized Resilient Data Provenance at the Edge with Blockchains

Data provenance and lineage are critical for ensuring integrity and reproducibility of information in research and application. This is particularly challenging for distributed scenarios, where data may be originating from decentralized sources without any central control by a single trusted entity. We present HyperProv, a general framework for data provenance based on the permissioned blockchain Hyperledger Fabric (HLF), and to the best of our knowledge, the first system that is ported to ARM based devices such as Raspberry Pi (RPi). HyperProv tracks the metadata, operation history and data lineage through a set of built-in queries using smart contracts, enabling lightweight retrieval of provenance data. HyperProv provides convenient integration through a NodeJS client library, and also includes off-chain storage through the SSH file system. We evaluate HyperProv's performance, throughput, resource consumption, and energy efficiency on x86-64 machines, as well as on RPi devices for IoT use cases at the edge

Profesjonsbakgrunn - e det viktig i grunn?

Masteroppgave i helseledelse (EMBA) - Nord universitet, 201

Simulation and Visualization of the Positioning System of the Brain in Virtual Reality

The goal of this project is to investigate how simulation and 3D visualization in virtual reality can be used to make the human navigation system understandable for the broad public. The research behind the positioning system in the rodent brain was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2014. The cells that make up the foundation of this navigation system have been found in many species, and are thought to be similar if not identical in humans. While these results are of significant importance, the underlying concepts might be difficult to understand for non-specialists. To present the positioning system in the brain to a broader audience, an interactive 3D visualization of the major components of this system (including hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, grid and place cells) was created in Second Life. In addition, a simplified simulation of how grid and place cells function was developed using the same platform. This educational demo was presented and evaluated by members of the general public at a number of venues and occasions, including a local science museum. Based on the evaluation results and the related work, we provide a set of recommendations for visualizing and sharing neuroscience-related knowledge in virtual reality.publishedVersionPublished by Journal of Computers (JCP). Open access

Solar wharf garage

The growing electrification of leisure boats has engendered the need for accessible marine charging stations. Since many marinas lack the infrastructure necessary to accommodate large numbers of electric boats, local charging solutions are required. This project was to feature the iterative design of an electric boat charging structure with photovoltaic systems, in this project called Solar Wharf Garage, that could be implemented into existing marinas. The overall objective was to generate a creative and feasible solar wharf garage design supported by objective engineering analysis. This required extensive research of electric boats, photovoltaic systems, wharf design, and material selection. Initially, the most important customer needs were gathered from the client Volvo Penta, including boat power requirements, modularity expectations, and environmental resilience. To begin research, site visits were conducted to marinas and solar energy system providers, that gathered information on marina layouts and commercial solar systems. Thereafter, functional requirements were generated followed by a list of 12 engineering specifications based on the customer needs and literature review. In the concept generation phase, the team iteratively created 30 concepts to address each functional requirement and evaluated these concepts to understand their limitations and explore possible solutions. The performance of each concept was ranked in a Pugh matrix relative to a standard Swedish boathouse and later a generated concept. The highest scored concepts were then evaluated in a Kesselring Matrix relative to an ideal performance for each functional requirement. With only one remaining concept, the work continued in focus groups to develop the different subsystems of the final design. The expected solar panel efficiency was simulated using the System Advisor Model (SAM) software in order to find the energy output capabilities of the system as well as the photovoltaics’ financial feasibility. A thorough mechanical analysis of the design was also completed to calculate the expected applied stress on the garage structure with the chosen aluminum alloy 6061-T6 AA. Lastly, evaluation were done regarding the expected success of the final concept in satisfying the original 12 engineering specifications. The resulting design is a twoboat- garage that generates sufficient electric energy for weekly outings - approximately 5.074 kWh annually. The photovoltaic system design uses two 9-panel strings, mounted flat, with each string of panels wired in series to one grid-tied inverter. The solar panels of the system can be retracted towards the dock for maintenance, removal, or off-season storage. Any excess electricity is fed back into the grid in exchange for credits, which reduce future electricity payments. The payback period of the photovoltaic system is approximately 13 years, which is roughly half of its estimated product lifespan

Host-Catalyzed Cyclodehydration–Rearrangement Cascade Reaction of Unsaturated Tertiary Alcohols

The Brønsted acidic resorcin[4]arene hexamer can be applied as an effective catalyst in the dehydrative cyclization and subsequent rearrangement of unsaturated tertiary alcohols. This is the first report on catalyzing such a reaction with a Brønsted acid. Scope and limitations of this cyclopentene-forming reaction sequence are presented. Furthermore, substrate-selective conversion as well as competitive inhibition are described and provide evidence that the reactions proceed within the cavity of the self-assembled structure. Additionally, a cyclobutanone-forming intramolecular hydride transfer of an encapsulated cyclopropyl acetate is reported

Epidemiology of classic psychedelic substances: results from a Norwegian internet convenience sample

ObjectiveIn recent years, there has been a renewed interest in investigating the use of classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders. However, knowledge about the epidemiology of classic psychedelics in the Nordic countries is limited.MethodsWe recruited adult, Norwegian participants who have had a memorable experience after taking a classic psychedelic substance. They filled in an anonymous internet survey with 119 items covering matters related to recreational use of psychedelics using a secure, web-based application. Data are presented by using descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, and standard deviations).ResultsWe recruited 841 participants, 770 (72% male; 88% 45 years or younger) of which were included in the data analysis. The intentions behind taking the psychedelic substance were mainly recreational (46.1%) or therapeutic (42.3%). Most participants reported that their most memorable experience was with psilocybin. As in modern era clinical trials, most participants were well-prepared before, did processing during, and did integration work after the experience, whereas only a minority were supported by a therapist. Self-perceived symptoms of various mental disorders and substance use disorders were prevalent in the sample. Most subjects reported improvements in their condition. Although adverse reactions were usually mild and short-lived, 4.2% lasted for 1 year or more. Persisting flashbacks were present for a year or more among 2.9% of the participants.ConclusionIn this cross-sectional sample of Norwegian, self-selecting adults, we shed light on what characterizes the most memorable experience with a classic psychedelic substance, including short- and long-term risks and benefits. For the most part, the psychedelic experience led to improvements in self-perceived symptoms of mental disorders and substance use disorders. However, a small subset experienced persisting adverse reactions

Chirality induction from a chiral guest to the hydrogen bonding network of its hexameric resorcinarene host capsule

The hexameric capsule of resorcin[4]arene 1 is capable of encapsulating tertiary amines, which has recently been used in the application of [( 1 ) 6 (H 2 O) 8 ] as (co-)catalyst in various asymmetric reactions. However, not much is known about the highly asymmetric but conformationally very dynamic structure of the capsule after uptake of chiral molecules. Therefore, in this contribution, we utilize electronic circular dichroism and vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy to investigate how several chiral guest molecules affect the structural preferences of the capsule [( 1 ) 6 (H 2 O) 8 ]. In particular, we show that one small chiral amine encapsulated in [( 1 ) 6 (H 2 O) 8 ] is sufficient to control and dictate the stereochemical preferences of the entire capsule. Furthermore, neither strong π–π interactions nor a significant steric bulk are required for this induction. The observation of such a chiral imprint of the guest's stereochemistry onto its host molecule is expected to have implications also for other supramolecular capsules

The biocarrier escape routes Identifying leaks through a Product Chain Organisational study

Biocarriers used in the Moving Bed Bioreactor process serve a good operational purpose, cleaning wastewater that would otherwise pollute the ocean without using toxic chemicals. But, incidents occur when biocarriers escape from the process and leak into the sea. The good purpose is lost, and the carriers become harmful marine plastic waste. These process leakages are within human and natures best interest to prevent, which means taking full responsibility for an extended length of the prod- uct’s life cycle. The biocarriers are suspended HDPE/PE plastic objects for housing and protecting microbes separating wastewater from nitrogen compounds. Applied in thousand or millions into the wastewater processes for municipal and industrial purposes, they add surface for the microbes to more efficiently treat wastewater and comply well with capacity and seasonal changes. Complication of biocarrier leakages is the added environmental impact from plastic pollution, including micro- and nano-plastics as carriers break down to smaller particles when exposed to wear and UV-light. Production, system installation, operation and waste management are the four phases in the life cycle approached in this thesis. The actors for each phase are identified to build the understanding of the Product Chain Organisation (PCO) of biocarriers. The PCO study method visualises interconnections, actor influences, system failures and possible sustainable system changes to detect, support and de- velop measures and strategies for better management of biocarrier processes with a mitigated impact from leakages. Quantification of the problem remains deficient due to non-specific categorisation in beach litter monitoring. Experiences and witnesses from beach litter actors along with estimations in data collected describes this litter as abundant across the north-east Atlantic coastal areas. To prevent and reduce biocarrier leakages, three levels of recommendation is con- cluded by the project. The first is the internalisation of externalises by the process owners given by additional barriers assigned for leak prevention. The second is surveillance and permit approval to increase system requirements from regional reg- ulators. The third is higher instances of regulators and international collaborations to regulate this type of marine plastic pollution and make additions in required risk assessments to specify biocarrier leaks