Removing the Threat, Maintaining the Lore: Wolves in Medieval Icelandic Literature

Wolves (Canis Lupus) have appeared as villains and antagonists in popular culture for centuries. Children grow up hearing stories of anthropomorphic wolves stalking and tormenting young girls in the woods and associating the animal with the phrase, “the big bad wolf.” In addition to fables and lore, negative wolf associations are prominent in idioms such as the wolf in sheep’s clothing or getting thrown to the wolves. These associations were created by cultures that relied heavily on livestock. However, deceitful, villainous, and demonic traits followed wolves in cultures that did not interact with the animal. This is the case with wolf representation in medieval Icelandic literature. Wolves are depicted in the Prose Edda and multiple Icelandic sagas as ravenous, sinister, wild, and sometimes supernatural creatures. Fenriswolf, the child of the precarious Loki and giantess Angrboda, is destined to begin Ragnarok, the end of the world. Multiple sagas describe ferocious, animalistic warriors dressed in wolf pelts called, Ulfhednar. The absence of wolves in conjunction with the residual fear from ancestral stories leads wolves to be seen as an exaggerated and malevolent version of the animal. Current scholarship surrounding wolves in medieval Icelandic literature addresses the source of wolf connotations, but they do not discuss the repercussions these associations still carry. Although a world apart, the monstrous depictions of wolves live on in the United States. These representations threaten modern wolves and the ecosystems they maintain. Presentation Time: Thursday, 1-2 p.m.Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/83585410381?pwd=KzdEOVc1WEhjVC9ZalpXNXVPdCtqQT0

Sporkling

For my thesis, I wrote and illustrated a graphic short story that captures the confusing experiences associated with aging out of childhood. My thesis, titled “Sporkling,” follows a twelve-year-old girl named Moira as she confronts her fears with the help of the recently thawed disembodied head of the quirky nineteenth-century inventor, Samuel W. Francis. The central topics of the project reflect on the unification of the body and mind. Whereas the young, naïve Moira represents the body, the disillusioned, decapitated Samuel represents the mind. As the two spend an afternoon trapped in Moira’s father’s secret laboratory, they must assist each other and learn what it truly means to be human. I chose to depict this story in graphic form because the genre itself captures the essence of the underlying topic: Union. By merging visuals and text, I more efficiently communicate with my young audience and reflect the story’s message

Anti-Viral Abilities of DABCO-Conjugated Molecules

Viral infections cause many detrimental diseases throughout the world and are difficult to treat due to their use of the host’s own cells. In addition, viruses have high mutation rates making them difficult to target with medical treatments. Studies done with DABCO-Conjugated molecules have showed promising results in removing viruses from environments. DABCO molecules are unique due to their ability to bind covalently to carbohydrate and protein based surfaces, such as cotton and wood. This provides opportunity to create antiviral surfaces, such as filters and fabrics which can be used to treat viral infections and minimize the possible transfers. It is proposed that a certain DABCO-conjugated molecule, diDABCO-C4, can bind viruses

Facilitating Peer-feedback as Competence in Project-Oriented Online Teaching

Peer-feedback is a popular activity in the competence-oriented university education, which has been significant in Denmark since around 2000 (Christiansen et al., 2015). Learning not only how to receive, but also how to provide peer-feedback facilitates so-called “deep learning”, in which the students reflect on their own learning process and develop their own selfevaluation competences (Nicol et al., 2014). As such, peer feedback feeds into concepts of student centered and dialogue based leaning, which prescribe that students’ leaning outcome increase, when they act as active participants and co-producers of the teaching and learning situation (CookSather et al., 2014). Furthermore, in imitating the academic peer review process, peer-feedback has been highlighted as a way to construct research based learning that helps the students to develop a critical approach to academic knowledge production (Horst, 2018)

Skapande möten, om relationen mellan konsten, barnet och läraren

Mastergradsoppgave i praktisk kunnskap - Høgskolen i Bodø, 200

Holdningsvariasjoner blant studenter til personlig merkevarebygging i sosiale medier

Bakgrunnen for denne oppgaven baserer seg på vår interesse for personlig merkevarebygging, og påstander om at kjønnene opererer på forskjellige måter i sosiale medier. Vi ønsket derfor å undersøke om det er holdningsforskjeller mellom studenter i forholdt til personlig merkevarebygging i sosiale medier, og vi har utviklet følgende problemstilling; “Hva er studenters holdninger til personlig merkevarebygging i sosiale medier?” Vi utførte en kvantitativ spørreundersøkelse, som ble besvart av 251 studenter innen det vi definerer som markedsrelaterte studier i Norge. Undersøkelsen skulle hjelpe oss å besvare problemstillingen, og også de underordnede spørsmålene vi utviklet for å støtte opp om den overordnede problemstillingen. Vår forskning viser at studentene i vårt utvalg generelt sett er positive til personlig merkevarebygging i sosiale medier, og at det er liten forskjell mellom kjønn og aldersgrupper. Gjennomgående for undersøkelsen, har kvinnene i utvalget stilt seg noe mer positive til de forskjellige utsagnene, men nyansene var små, og funnene er ikke representative for alle studenter i Norge. Vi kunne derimot vise til større differanser da vi forsket på aldersforskjeller, der det vi definerer som unge studenter, var mer positive til personlig merkevarebygging i sosiale medier, enn det vi i undersøkelsen definerer som eldre studenter. Forskningen har også kartlagt noen viktige positive og negative aspekter ved personlig merkevarebygging i sosiale medier, hvor det viste seg å kommenteres flere forskjellige positive aspekter, enn negative

Aleutian Mink Disease Virus in Free-Ranging Mink from Sweden

Aleutian mink disease (AMD) is a chronic viral disease in farmed mink and the virus (AMDV) has been found in many free-ranging mink (Neovison vison) populations in Europe and North America. In this study, AMDV DNA and AMDV antibodies were analysed in 144 free-ranging mink hunted in Sweden. Associations between being AMDV infected (defined as positive for both viral DNA and antibodies) and the weight of the spleen, liver, kidneys, adrenal glands and body condition were calculated and the sequences of ten AMDV isolates were analysed in order to characterize the genetic relationships. In total, 46.1% of the mink were positive for AMDV antibodies and 57.6% were positive for AMDV DNA. Twenty-two percent of the mink tested on both tests (n = 133) had dissimilar results. The risk of having AMDV antibodies or being positive for AMDV DNA clearly increased with age and the majority of the mink that were two years or older were infected. Few macroscopic changes were found upon necropsy. However, the relative weight of the spleen was sexually dimorphic and was found to be slightly, but significantly (p = 0.006), heavier in AMDV infected male mink than uninfected. No association between AMDV infection and body condition, weight of the kidneys, liver or adrenal glands were found. Several different strains of AMDV were found across the country. Two of the AMDV sequences from the very north of Sweden did not group with any of the previously described groups of strains. In summary, AMDV seems to be prevalent in wild mink in Sweden and may subtly influence the weight of the spleen