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Effekter av Green Mountain sitt datasenter på Rjukan: En nytte-kostnadsanalyse
Full text linkDenne masteroppgaven undersøker de samfunnsøkonomiske virkningene av datasenteret TEL-Rjukan, etablert av Green Mountain i Tinn kommune. Ved hjelp av en nytte-kostnadsanalyse vurderes det om prosjektet gir en netto gevinst for samfunnet basert på prinsipper fra samfunnsøkonomisk teori. Analysen inkluderer både direkte effekter som lokal verdiskaping og skatteinntekter, og indirekte og eksterne virkninger som ringvirkninger i leverandørleddet, bruk av overskuddsvarme og miljøpåvirkning.
Resultatene viser at prosjektet gir en betydelig positiv netto nytte med en nåverdi på mellom 5,1 og 5,3 milliarder kroner i perioden 2025–2030, avhengig av verdsetting av alternativkostnad til kraft. Hovedkildene til nytte er blant annet verdiskaping og restverdi, mens de største kostnadene knytter seg til kraftbruk og lønn. De miljømessige og visuelle ulempene vurderes som små.
Oppgaven peker på metodiske begrensninger, særlig knyttet til analysehorisont, forutsetninger og usikker verdsetting av flere effekter. Likevel konkluderes det med at TEL-Rjukan fremstår som et samfunnsøkonomisk lønnsomt tiltak, særlig grunnet høy verdiskaping, lav miljøbelastning og effektiv ressursutnyttelse, samt positive bidrag til lokal og regional næringsutvikling.MasteroppgaveECON391PROF-SØKMASV-SØ
Applicability of NMR spectroscopy to quantify microplastics across varying concentrations in polymer mixtures
No full textQuantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) spectroscopy could potentially be used for environmental microplastic analyses, provided the challenges posed by mixed polymer samples with varying concentrations and overlapping signals are understood. This study investigates the feasibility of qNMR as a reliable and cost-efficient method for quantifying synthetic polymers in mixtures of low and varying concentrations, addressing key challenges and limitations. Polymer mixtures were analysed using deuterated chloroform (CDCl3) and deuterated tetrahydrofuran (THF-d8) as solvents, with polystyrene (PS), polybutadiene-cis (PB), polyisoprene-cis (PI), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU), and polylactic acid (PLA) as selected polymers. Mixtures contained either low and high concentrations of each polymer or equal concentrations of all six polymers. Polymer concentrations were measured using the internal standard method. The method showed low relative errors for low concentrations of PS in CDCl3 and PVC in THF-d8, with values of −5% and 0%, respectively, while PB and PI in CDCl3 show relative errors of +5% and −3%, respectively. We observe significant linearity between nominal and measured concentrations with R2 values ranging from 0.9655 to 0.9981, except for PU, which had high relative errors and poor linearity (R2 = 0.9548). Moreover, simultaneous quantification of six polymers in THF-d8 proves effective at intermediate concentrations. However, overlapping proton signals are observed, causing high-concentration polymers to mask low-concentration ones. While this study demonstrates low limit of quantification (LOQ) and advances in simultaneous polymer quantification, further research is needed to improve qNMR accuracy for mixed polymer samples and environmentally relevant concentrations.publishedVersio
Postcard From__ : Exploration of the concept of home and feeling of displacement through multimodality and ethnographic research
No full text"Postcard From___" is a net.art master's thesis project about the concept of home and the experience of displacement from home. The project blends multiple modes such as video documentaries and montages, digital illustration, digital narrative, and website interaction and design (UI/UX). "Postcard From___" is an ethnographic research project involving 16 participants, including the author. The project aims to explore the different experiences of being at home and being away from home while utilizing both traditional and digital media. It is inspired by previous related digital media and cultural projects such as Pat Badani’s "Where are you from? Stories," Katerina Cizek’s "Universe Within," and many others.Mastergradsoppgave i digital kulturDIKULT350MAHF-DIKU
Evaluating Iterative Deep Learning as a Labeling-Efficient Strategy for Tubular Segmentation in Digital Nephropathology
No full textPurpose
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 850 million people globally and represents a
major public health challenge. Morphological assessment of kidney tubules provides valuable
parameters for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning. While such assessments are
traditionally performed visually by pathologists, quantitative analysis and the training of
AI models require detailed manual annotations of renal structures, a process that is both
time-consuming and labor-intensive. This thesis investigates the use of Quick Annotator (QA),
an interactive deep-learning tool, as a labeling-efficient strategy for segmenting renal tubules in
histological images. The study evaluates QA’s potential to increase annotation speed, streamline
the annotation workflow for pathologists, and produce predictions comparable to existing deep
learning models.
Methods
Tubular segmentation models were trained iteratively using Quick Annotator (QA) on whole-slide
images (WSIs) containing both healthy and diseased tubules. Three annotation workflows were
evaluated, employing 5-, 10-, and 20-minute annotation intervals per iteration. Annotation
efficiency was assessed using multiple speed-up metrics and regression-based modeling of
manual annotation speed. Segmentation performance was evaluated using Dice Similarity
Coefficient (DSC), Intersection over Union (IoU), and Average Precision (AP). The QA model
and two reference models from Lucarelli et al. (2023) were all evaluated against the same ground
truth (GT) annotations and subsequently compared. Additional analyses addressed QA’s usability,
technical setup, and limitations.
Results
Annotation speed improved notably with QA, particularly in the 10- and 20-minute workflows.
The 20-minute model achieved a 5 × speed-up compared to manual annotation in QuPath and
demonstrated a similar relative increase within QA. However, the improvement was less than
reported in QA’s original publication, likely due to differences in tissue type, tubule morphology,
and tile configuration. QA achieved a mean DSC of 0.86 ± 0.08, IoU of 0.80 ± 0.10, and AP
of 0.473. While biologically meaningful, these results did not outperform the best-performing
Lucarelli model ( DSC = 0.90 ± 0.05 , IoU = 0.82 ± 0.07, AP = 0.580 ). Technical setup and
usability challenges were identified, including annotation precision issues, software configuration,
and system integration barriers.
Conclusion
QA notably improved annotation speed and produced meaningful segmentations, confirming
its utility as a labeling-efficient tool. However, its ease of use was limited without technical
support, and segmentation performance did not surpass that of pre-trained reference models.
Given that these reference models were trained on substantially larger datasets, QA’s results
remain promising in the context of limited training data. Future work should focus on expanding
the annotated dataset, particularly with more diseased tubules, enhancing morphometric feature
integration for performance modeling, and leveraging the resulting annotations in downstream
applications such as deep learning-based classification or clustering.Masteroppgave i medisinsk teknologiMTEK3995MAMN-MTE
Nansen and Amundsen basins: Gradients of physico-chemical properties and biota composition with implications for future resource management of the central Arctic Ocean
No full textThe projected transition of the central Arctic Ocean (CAO) into a warmer, seasonally ice-free ocean requires more knowledge of this environment to predict changes in the structure and dynamics of its ecosystems. We aimed to compare the state and underlying processes of Nansen Basin and Amundsen Basin ecosystems observed in August–September 2021 and assess impacts of Atlantic Water inflow and fresher Transpolar Drift waters, respectively, on these ecosystems. The basins differed in features of sea ice, hydrography, and chemical and biological compositions. The near-slope open water in western Nansen Basin showed a clear fingerprint of warm, saline Atlantic Water, with larger vertical turbulent fluxes facilitating nutrient transport across the pycnocline and supporting larger standing stocks of bacteria, protists, and zooplankton. Pelagic primary production and microbial and faunal stocks decreased northward and into Amundsen Basin, likely due to lower nutrient concentrations, stronger stratification, and reduced light through the more continuous and thicker ice and snow cover in Amundsen Basin, possibly also impacted by seasonally declining light levels. Transpolar Drift signals included lower salinity, stronger stratification, and higher silicate concentrations in Amundsen Basin surface waters. Similarities to earlier observations included the increase in small-sized algae from Nansen Basin into Amundsen Basin and overall low faunal abundances in the CAO, suggesting that overarching patterns remained unchanged over past decades. Examples of species range extensions and notable taxon absences relative to earlier studies, however, could be due to borealization and changes in sea-ice conditions, respectively. Higher density ecosystem sampling and consistent time series are recommended to confirm such conclusions. The distinct basin differences call for a regional approach to future management of the CAO. We especially caution against using the area of strong Atlantic Water inflow in southern Nansen Basin as representative of the entire basin, let alone Amundsen Basin or the CAO.publishedVersio
How the Elite Hire : Cultural Distinctions and Moral Boundaries in Norwegian Upper-Class Recruitment
No full textDenne avhandlingen undersøker ansettelser i eliten og de klassede implikasjonene av disse i Norge. Den utforsker de sentrale kriteriene, inklusjons- og eksklusjonspraksiser, og evalueringer av meritter som foregår i ansettelsesprosesser i elitefirma i den kulturelle, balanserte og økonomiske fraksjonen av den norske overklassen. Hovedproblemstillinger som har veiledet denne avhandlingen er: Hvordan former aspekter knyttet til klasse, kultur, livsstil og moral ansettelsesprosesser i ulike segmenter av overklassen? Dette spørsmålet er mer spesifikt undersøkt ved å utforske 1) konstruksjoner og presentasjoner av ‘ideelle arbeidstagere’, 2) fritidsinteresser, 3) moralske dimensjoner og 4) klassefraksjoner, og hvordan disse former og påvirker ansettelsesprosesser i norske eliteorganisasjoner. Disse problemstillingene er undersøkt gjennom en innholdsanalyse av 150 utlysningstekster til stillinger i elitefirma, observasjoner av ti ansettelsesprosesser i ni elitefirmaer (CV-screening, jobbintervjuer, vurderingssamtaler, noe som inkluderer rundt 200 kandidatevalueringer og observasjon av 61 jobbintervjuer), og 50 intervjuer med personer involvert i ansettelser.
Artikkel I (Konstruksjoner av den ideelle arbeidstageren i eliten) tar for seg spørsmålet om hvordan elitefirmaer presenterer deres ‘ideelle arbeidstager’ gjennom utlysningstekster og utforsker hvordan kriteriene og innrammingen av disse tekstene kan bidra til klassede og kjønnede reproduksjoner av ulikhet. Jeg viser at ‘myke’ og personlige ferdigheter er svært tilstedeværende i tekster fra alle tre klassefraksjoner, noe som impliserer mye rom for diskresjon, noe som videre har vist seg å skape grobunn for klasse- og kjønnsbias. Videre argumenterer jeg for at flere av de krevde karakteristikkene er klasset, og at de gjennomgående konstruerer en ideell arbeidstager som er mest tilpasset en person fra overklassen. Til slutt lokaliserer funnene utbredte sammenhenger mellom typiske kjønnsattribusjoner og kjønnsdominanse i sektor, noe som potensielt kan skape barrierer for kvinner for å søke seg til mannsdominerte sektorer og vise versa. På denne måten fremhever analysen sentrale, implisitte lukningsmekanismer som kan, til og med i dette tidlige stadiet i ansettelsesprosessen, fungere som barrierer for klasse- og kjønnslikhet i eliteorganisasjoner.
Artikkel II (Fysisk egnethet), samskrevet med Prof. Lauren Rivera, undersøker hvordan fritidsinteresser – og idrett spesifikt – er en sentral sorteringsmekanisme i disse firmaene, og de klassede og kjønnede implikasjonene ved å sile på organisert idrett som er dominerende i høyere klasser. Ved å observere ansettelsesprosesser og intervjue personer involvert i ansettelser så finner vi at arbeidsgivere i de balanserte og økonomiske overklassefraksjonene siler kandidater implisitt og direkte basert på deltagelsen deres i organiserte, mannsdominerte idretter som er dominert av de fra høyere klasser. Fysisk egnede kandidater er sett på som bedre utrustet for å håndtere jobbrelevante krav og er også ansett som egnet, både sosialt og kulturelt, i eliteorganisasjoner. Vi avdekker at ansettere foretrakk kandidater som er ‘fysisk egnet’ ved at de er forstått som å gi økonomisk og symbolsk verdi til firmaene. Analysen viser at atletisk ferdighet er en dominerende silingsmekanisme som har konversjonsverdi i arbeidsmarkedet i eliten, noe som indikerer en bredere ableisme blant norske eliter.
Artikkel III (Balansegangen i eliterekruttering) ser på moralitet og undersøker hvorvidt og hvordan dagens eliters ‘søken etter moralsk legitimitet’ spiller inn i anskaffelsen deres av privilegier og makt. Ved å analysere observasjons- og intervjudata fra ansettelsesprosesser i eliten så finner jeg at kandidater er evaluert basert på en rekke av delikate balanseganger. Mer spesifikt ble kandidatene vurdert på bakgrunn av hvor godt de balanserte samtaledynamikk, fremvisning av ferdigheter og kvalifikasjoner og følelsesmessige uttrykk. Evaluatorer søkte kandidater som balanserte mellom å vise tegn på dominans og samtidig viste tegn på felleskap. Jeg viser at disse eliteprestasjonene av ydmykhet fungerer som sentrale utvelgelseskriterier i ansettelsesprosessene, noe som fungerer fordelaktig for kandidater fra privilegerte bakgrunner. Denne artikkelen viser hvordan alminnelighet, beskjedenhet og merittbasert logikk ikke bare former eliters offentlige legitimitet, men at de også former deres sosiale destinasjoner. Dermed demonstrerer den hvordan ulikhet er produsert på mikronivå i portvokter-interaksjoner og hvordan moral gir konversjonsmuligheter til elitearbeidsmarkedet.
Målet ved denne avhandlingen er å bidra med ny empirisk, metodisk og teoretisk kunnskap til klasse-, elite- og arbeidssosiologien. Jeg gjør dette ved å 1) vise empirisk hvordan kulturell kapital opererer på mikronivå i inngangsinstitusjoner, 2) bidra med nye empiriske data på lukningsprosesser i eliten fra et relativt sett mer egalitært land enn landene som typisk har vært i fokus for å studere disse aspektene (eks. USA og Storbritannia), 3) oppnå tilgang til å observere jobbintervjuer, som, etter det jeg vet, ikke tidligere har vært systematisk undersøkt i studier på ansettelser av eliten, og 4) kombinere det bourdieuanske rammeverket og nyere teoretiske retninger inspirert av denne forskningen, nemlig kulturell klasseanalyse, verdsettings- og evalueringssosiologi, og teorier om moral, for å håndtere spørsmål rundt elitereproduksjon i ansettelsesprosesser.This thesis examines the issue of elite hiring and its classed implications in Norway. It investigates the key criteria, practices of inclusion and exclusion, and evaluations of merit that take place in hiring processes in elite firms in the cultural, balanced and economic fraction of the Norwegian upper class. The research question guiding this thesis is: ‘How do issues of class, culture, lifestyle and morality shape hiring processes in different segments of the upper class?’ This question is examined more specifically by investigating 1) constructions and presentations of ‘ideal employees’, 2) leisure pursuits, 3) moral dimensions, and 4) class fractions, and how these shape and affect hiring processes in Norwegian elite organisations. These issues are examined through a content analysis of 150 advertisement texts for job positions to elite firms, observation of ten hiring processes in nine elite firms (CV screening, job interviews, debriefs, including about 200 candidate evaluations and observation of 61 job interviews), and 50 interviews with hiring agents.
Article I (Constructions of the ideal elite employee) tackles the question of how elite firms present their ‘ideal employees’ through advertisement texts and investigates how the criteria and framing of these texts may contribute to classed and gendered reproductions of inequality. I show that ‘soft skills’ and personal skills are highly prevalent in texts from all three class fractions, implicating a lot of room for discretion, which has been shown to create a breeding ground for class and gender bias. Furthermore, I argue that several of the required characteristics are classed, and that they overall construct an ideal employee mostly fit for a person from the upper classes. Finally, the findings locate extensive connections between typical gender ascriptions and gender dominance in the sector, potentially creating barriers for women to apply to male-dominated sectors and vice versa. The analysis thus highlights key implicit closure mechanisms that might, even at this early stage of the hiring process, work as barriers for class and gender equality in elite organisations.
Article II (Physical Fit), co-written with Prof. Lauren Rivera, examines how leisure activities – and sports specifically – is a key sorting mechanism in these firms, and the classed and gendered implications of screening on organised, high-class sports. By observing hiring processes and interviewing hiring agents, we find that employers in the balanced and economic upper-class fractions screen candidates implicitly and formally based on their participation in organised, high-class, male-dominated sports. Physically fit candidates are seen as better equipped to meet on-the-job demands and are also seen as a social and cultural ‘fit’ within elite organisations. We also reveal that hiring agents preferred candidates that are a ‘physical fit’ in that they are seen to bring economic or symbolic value to the firms. The analysis show that athleticism is a salient screening mechanism having conversion value in the elite labour market, also indicating a broader ableism amongst Norwegian elites.
Article III (The Balancing Act of Elite Recruitment) looks at morality and investigates if and how today’s elites’ ‘quest for moral legitimacy’ play into their acquisition of privilege and power. By analysing observation and interview data from elite hiring processes, I find that candidates are evaluated based on a series of delicate balancing acts. Specifically, candidates were assessed on how well they balanced conversational dynamics, displays of skills and qualifications, and emotional displays. Evaluators sought candidates who balanced between showing signs of dominance while also showing signs of communality. I show that these elite performances of modesty serve as key selection criteria in these hiring processes, benefiting candidates from privileged backgrounds. This article shows how ordinariness, modesty and logics of merit not only shape elite’s public legitimacy but also serve to shape their social destinations. It thus demonstrates how inequality is produced at the micro-level in gatekeeping interactions and how morality provides conversion opportunities into the elite labour market.
The aim of this thesis is to contribute to new knowledge empirically, methodically and theoretically to the sociology of class, elites, and work. I do this by 1) empirically showing how cultural capital operates at the micro-level in gateway institutions, 2) providing new empirical data on elite closure from a relatively more egalitarian country than countries that are typically the focus to study these issues (e.g. the US and the UK), 3) gaining access to observing job interviews, which, to the best of my knowledge, have not been systematically investigated in studies on elite hiring, and 4) combining the Bourdieusian framework and newer theoretical strands inspired by this research, namely cultural class analysis, the sociology of valuation and evaluation, and theories on morality, to grapple with the question of elite reproduction in hiring.Doktorgradsavhandlin
Identifying Hotspots for Improvement of Environmental Impacts in the Production of a Saccharina latissima-based Plant Biostimulant Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
No full textThis thesis investigates the environmental impacts of producing a seaweed-based biostimulant from Saccharina latissima, aiming to identify environmental hotspots and areas for improvement. Conducted in collaboration with Kelpinor AS, a Norwegian start-up, the study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify impacts across their full production line.
In light of global sustainability challenges and the urgency to operate within planetary boundaries, seaweed cultivation and biostimulants are increasingly recognized as promising solutions for enhancing resource efficiency. However, as both industries are relatively new in the Norwegian context, it is important to investigate their overall environmental impacts, not just potential benefits. LCA was selected as a tool for both quantifying impacts and identifying improvement areas. Accordingly, the main objective of this study was to identify key environmental hotspots in Kelpinor's production of biostimulants.
The results show that the biostimulant production stage was the primary contributor to environmental impacts across all 18 ReCiPe 2016 midpoint categories. The key drivers within this phase were the use of chemical preservatives, particularly citric acid, followed by IBC tanks and electricity use. To address the multiple layers of uncertainty present in this study, a combination of assumption hunting, the NUSAP framework, and sensitivity analysis was applied, revealing high uncertainty in key parameters.
This recognition of uncertainty became a central theme of the thesis. Rather than treating uncertainty as a technical obstacle to be minimized, it is explored as a fundamental aspect of sustainability assessment. Drawing on post-normal science, the study argues that inclusive, contextual decision-making, through an extended peer community, offers a more appropriate response when uncertainty is high and decisions remain urgent. By linking LCA results with this broader interpretive lens, the thesis highlights the need for transparency, deliberation, and fitness-for-purpose framing in environmental assessments.Praksisbasert masteroppgaveSDG351MAHF-SD
Next-Generation Vaccine Platforms: Integrating Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, and Systems Immunology for Improved Immunogenicity
No full textThe emergence of complex and rapidly evolving pathogens necessitates innovative vaccine platforms that move beyond traditional methods. This review explores the transformative potential of next-generation vaccine technologies, focusing on the combined use of synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and systems immunology. Synthetic biology provides modular tools for designing antigenic components with improved immunogenicity, as seen in mRNA, DNA, and peptide-based platforms featuring codon optimization and self-amplifying constructs. At the same time, nanotechnology enables precise antigen delivery and controlled immune activation through engineered nanoparticles such as lipid-based carriers, virus-like particles, and polymeric systems to improve stability, targeting, and dose efficiency. Systems immunology aids these advancements by analyzing immune responses through multi-omics data and computational modeling, which assists in antigen selection, immune profiling, and adjuvant optimization. This approach enhances both humoral and cellular immunity, solving challenges like antigen presentation, response durability, and vaccine personalization. Case studies on SARS-CoV-2, Epstein–Barr virus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis highlight the practical application of these platforms. Despite promising progress, challenges include scalability, safety evaluation, and ethical concerns with data-driven vaccine designs. Ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial to fully develop these technologies for strong, adaptable, globally accessible vaccines. This review emphasizes next-generation vaccines as foundational for future immunoprophylaxis, especially against emerging infectious diseases and cancer immunotherapy.publishedVersio
Hin dyreste møy steg da ned av alteret
No full textPostponed access: the file will be accessible after 2025-09-02Kunsthistorie mastergradsoppgaveKUN350MAHF-KU