Digitalization of Retail Stores using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons

This thesis explores the domains of retail stores and the Internet of Things, with a focus on Bluetooth Low Energy beacons. It investigates how one can use the technology to improve physical stores, for the benefit of both the store and the customers. It does this by going through literature and information from academia and the relevant industry. Additionally, an interview with an expert in the retail domain is conducted, and a survey consisting of a series of interviews and questionnaire with what can be considered experts in the IT domain. A prototype app called Stass is developed, the app demonstrates some of the usages of the technology and is also used for evaluating the performance of the beacons.Masteroppgave i informasjonsvitenskapINFO39

Information Retrieval using applied Supervised Learning for Personalized E-Commerce

Master's thesis in Computer SciencePersonalized E-Commerce Search Challenge issued by the International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management. By analyzing historical data containing browsing logs, queries, user interactions, and static data in the domain of an online retail service, we attempt to extract patterns and derive features from the data collection that will subsequently improve prediction of relevant products. A selection of supervised learning models will utilize an assembly of these features to be trained for prediction of test data. Prediction is performed on the queries given by the data collection, paired with each product item originally appearing in the query. We experiment with the possible assemblies of features along with the models and compare the results to achieve maximum prediction power. Lastly, the quality of the predictions are evaluated towards a ground truth to yield scores.submittedVersio

The role of stigma in accessing education for people with disabilities in low and middle-income countries: a review of the evidence

People with disabilities are often subjected to stigma, which can keep them from realising their full potential and their human rights, including the right to education. The UN agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, underscores the urgent need to eliminate and ensure equal access in education to vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities. Thus, it is important to understand the different barriers and facilitators, which are preventing or enabling people with disabilities in their access to inclusive quality education. This report presents findings from a scoping review conducted to give an overview of the evidence-base on the role of stigma in accessing education for people with disabilities in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Twenty-three articles from LMICs met the predetermined inclusion criteria. These articles described some of the ways stigma is affecting access to and equity in education, especially attitudes coming from teachers, school staff and structures, peers, parents and children's own felt stigma. In turn, these attitudes reflect societal stigma which is due to lack of knowledge and a societal view of disability, based on the medical model of impairment and limitation. There is a need for capacity building of teachers and of changing the medical view of disabilities in society. Evidence-based awareness campaigns and research on the implementation of inclusive education in low and middle-income countries is needed. ISBN: 978-82-14-06715-6publishedVersio

Crack growth models for multiaxial fatigue in a ship's propeller shaft

Abstract A premature fatigue failure of a large intermediate propeller shaft in a shuttle tanker is discussed and analyzed. The short fatigue life consists mainly of a crack growth phase. Life predictions are carried out by crack growth modelling based on engineering fracture mechanics. The purpose of the present investigation is to identify the most likely loading modes based on the evolution of the crack propagation. A Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics Model (LEFM) is applied with the stress intensity factor range entering the Paris law as a key parameter. Existing formulas for the geometry functions are supplemented by more detailed stress intensity factor calculations pertaining to small semi-elliptical surface cracks subjected to stress mode I. Enhanced geometry functions are proposed as a function of the relative crack depth and the crack shape aspect ratio. The ability of the fracture mechanics model to reconstruct the observed crack path and crack shape development is emphasized. Various loading modes and multi-axial stress states are applied to pursue the observed crack behavior. The observed semi-elliptical crack shapes and the shift in crack planes are included in the analysis

Fatigue crack growth in mooring chain steel at different mean load levels

The fatigue crack growth rates of R4 mooring chain steel at different R-ratios are investigated. Crack growth experiments are performed at three different R-ratios, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.7, utilizing compact tension specimens in air environment. Huang and Moan’s driving force parameter ΔKE, which relates the growth rates at different R-ratios to those obtained at R = 0, is explored and adapted for R4 steel. A full-scale fatigue experiment involving a chain assembly with an identified crack is presented, where the observed crack growth was successfully modelled by the proposed crack growth model. Case studies with different mean loads are explored where the crack growth model is utilized to predict the fatigue life of D = 145 mm chain links with a crack at the crown location. The crack growth simulations are compared and discussed against published S–N curves for chain links with varying mean load. The S–N curves may give very inaccurate results when extrapolated outside of the underlying test data. The crack growth model predicts longer lives at low stress ranges and low mean loads compared to the S–N curves, indicating that current guidelines may be overly conservative in these conditions.publishedVersio

SONIA: an immersive customizable virtual reality system for the education and exploration of brain networks

While mastery of neuroanatomy is important for the investigation of the brain, there is an increasing interest in exploring the neural pathways to better understand the roles of neural circuitry in brain functions. To tackle the limitations of traditional 2D-display-based neuronavigation software in intuitively visualizing complex 3D anatomies, several virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) solutions have been proposed to facilitate neuroanatomical education. However, with the increasing knowledge on brain connectivity and the functioning of the sub-systems, there is still a lack of similar software solutions for the education and exploration of these topics, which demand more elaborate visualization and interaction strategies. To address this gap, we designed the immerSive custOmizable Neuro learnIng plAform (SONIA), a novel user-friendly VR software system with a multi-scale interaction paradigm that allows flexible customization of learning materials. With both quantitative and qualitative evaluations through user studies, the proposed system is shown to have high usability, attractive visual design, and good educational value. As the first immersive system that integrates customizable design and detailed narratives of the brain sub-systems for the education of neuroanatomy and brain connectivity, SONIA showcases new potential directions and provides valuable insights regarding medical learning and exploration in VR

Organisasjonsendring og sensemaking Hvordan programledere i NRK-radio fortolker digitaliseringen av radiomediet

Masteroppgave offentlig politikk og ledelse- Universitetet i Agder, 2015Denne oppgaven ser på hvordan ansatte i en fortolker en organisasjonsendring. Organisasjonsendringen som studeres er overgangen fra FM til digital radio i Norge, og de ansatte som undersøkes er programledere i NRK-radio. Mer spesifikt undersøker oppgaven om det er like eller ulike fortolkninger av digitaliseringen blant programledere som jobber i enten en FM-kanal, eller en av de nye digitale radiokanalene i NRK. Overgangen til digital radio er en av de mest omfattende endringene i Norsk mediehistorie, og har stor betydning for hele Norges befolkning. Det har derfor vært mye og til tider heftig debatt i mediene om digitaliseringen er riktig. I mange andre land i Europa har den samme debatten pågått, og i flere tilfeller ført til at digitaliseringen har blitt utsatt eller stoppet. Til tross for denne heftige debatten som har pågått i Norske medier, er Norge er det første landet i verden som har vedtatt å stenge FM-nettet. Ettersom NRK har Norges største radiokanaler og er sentral i arbeidet for digitaliseringen, er det å studere NRK verdifullt for å få innblikk i denne omfattende endringen. For å få frem hvordan programlederne i NRK-fortolker overgangen til digital radio, har åtte programledere blitt intervjuet i denne undersøkelsen. Disse intervjuene ble gjennomført våren 2015. For å få frem likheter og ulikheter i ansattes fortolkninger av omstillingen, har data blitt presentert og analysert innenfor Jacobsens (2012) konseptuelle modell for planlagt organisasjonsendring og drøftet i lys av Weicks (1995) teori om sensemaking (meningsskaping). I tillegg støtter oppgaven seg på teoretiske perspektiver om organisasjonsstruktur for å belyse hvordan det å jobbe i forskjellige radiokanaler kan påvirke sensemaking. Resultatet av undersøkelsen viste at det både er like og ulike meninger blant ansatte som jobber i FM og DAB-kanaler. Det er bred enighet på tvers av FM og DAB-kanaler om at digitaliseringen av radio er et resultat av teknologiske endringer i samfunnet og at en overgang til digital radio er nødvendig for radioens overlevelse i en digital virkelighet. Den felles virkelighetsoppfatningen forklares dermed i stor grad av at digitaliseringen handler om radioens overlevelse. Andre forklaringsfaktorer som medvirker til den felles fortolkningen av virkeligheten, er at de ansatte har en sterk identifikasjon med NRK, og at de har fått delta i endringsprosessen. ii Undersøkelsen avdekket også at det er en felles bekymring på tvers av kanalene om at mottak for radio i bil er det største problemet for en vellykket digitalisering av radio. Analysen viste også at ansatte som jobber i DAB-kanaler opplever at de jobber mer, er mer bekymret for egen jobb, og vil ha en raskere stenging av FM-nettet enn sine kolleger i FM-kanaler. Den ulike meningen i forhold til disse aspektene ved endringsprosessen, henger sammen med at det er usikkerhet om de nye kanalene kommer til å bli en suksess eller ikke når FM-nettet sannsynligvis skrus av i 2017. I lys av sensemaking perspektivet viste undersøkelsen at det ikke er alle av Weicks syv elementer i sensemaking teorien som kan forklare hvorfor det eksisterer lik fortolkning av endringen. Oppgaven viste at sannsynlighet og identitet var de to komponentene som best forklarte en hvorfor det er en felles fortolkning av virkeligheten i NRK- radio