Abortion and The Society: An Argumentation for How Sociology Can Contribute to Human Rights Discourse, Using Abortion as a Case Study

This paper aims to provide deeper insight on the case of self- determined abortion. As ‘the Right to Life’ of the unborn child is a question within Human Rights, and more specifically in reference to Article 6 in The Convention of the Rights of the Child, my research question is ‘How can sociological theory contribute to the understanding of how different societies value the unborn life and as a result give a deeper understanding of how to handle the right to life in Human Rights?’. I argue that societies and culture are the main grounds for Human Rights, and because of that there should be more sociological theory informing the fundament of the rights. As my focus evolves around the question about the right to life, I use abortion as a case exemplifying and strengthening my arguments as to why sociology should play a greater role in Human Rights discourse. My aim is not to generalize, but to provide sociological analysis of different circumstances that may affect a pregnant woman’s decision regarding abortion. To do this research I have gathered as much information as I could regarding abortion and human rights. To further my analysis, I have brought in the four traditions of sociology to explain possible reasoning behind how a community values a life, and the extent of how this may affect a woman who is deciding whether to have an abortion. Most of all, I argue that to understand how to promote human rights, we need to understand the mechanisms behind the results of studies done in different societal structures, and in this thesis specifically, the motivation behind a woman’s standpoint on abortion.This paper aims to provide deeper insight on the case of self- determined abortion. As ‘the Right to Life’ of the unborn child is a question within Human Rights, and more specifically in reference to Article 6 in The Convention of the Rights of the Child, my research question is ‘How can sociological theory contribute to the understanding of how different societies value the unborn life and as a result give a deeper understanding of how to handle the right to life in Human Rights?’. I argue that societies and culture are the main grounds for Human Rights, and because of that there should be more sociological theory informing the fundament of the rights. As my focus evolves around the question about the right to life, I use abortion as a case exemplifying and strengthening my arguments as to why sociology should play a greater role in Human Rights discourse. My aim is not to generalize, but to provide sociological analysis of different circumstances that may affect a pregnant woman’s decision regarding abortion. To do this research I have gathered as much information as I could regarding abortion and human rights. To further my analysis, I have brought in the four traditions of sociology to explain possible reasoning behind how a community values a life, and the extent of how this may affect a woman who is deciding whether to have an abortion. Most of all, I argue that to understand how to promote human rights, we need to understand the mechanisms behind the results of studies done in different societal structures, and in this thesis specifically, the motivation behind a woman’s standpoint on abortion

Ungdommers egen erfaring av skole innenfor et behandlingssenter

Masterprosjektet er en fenomenologisk forankret oppgave i spesialpedagogikk som tar utgangspunkt i problemstillingen: Hvordan opplever ungdom som er i et behandlingsforløp i ungdomspsykiatrien betydningen av skole? Oppgaven behandler datamateriale fra fem kvalitative forskningsintervju, sett i lys av narrativ teori og dekonstruksjon (White, 2006b. Derrida, 2006). Teksten plasserer seg innenfor en bestemt type spesialpedagogisk posisjonering som er synliggjort ved å anvende tekster fra Skjervheim (1996a, 1996b, 1996c). Oppgaven inneholder fem deler: Vitenskapsteoretisk og kunstfaglig ståsted, metode og analyse, tematisering og analyse, refleksjon og drøfting: I vitenskapelig og kunstfaglig ståsted blir det redegjort for måten narrativ teori og dekonstruksjon danner et fundament for oppgaveteksten. Metode og analyse inneholder en problematisering av hvordan disse begrepene kan brukes i sammenheng med dekonstruksjon. Tematisering og analyse tar i bruk tekst fra transkriberte intervju som sorteres etter temaene: Interesser, motivasjon og drømmer og håp. Refleksjonen inneholder tanker om egen skriveprosess og bakgrunn for strukturen i drøftingsdelen. Drøftingsdelen tar utgangspunkt i begreper som framkommer i tematiseringsdelen og har som mål å plassere oppgaven som et bidrag i debatten om hva inkluderende opplæring kan bety. Teksten kan formidle en annen side ved spesialpedagogikken enn det som framkommer i styringsdokumenter for skolen (Nordahl, 2018. Utdanningsdirektoratet, 2020). Oppgaven inneholder i tillegg illustrasjoner som kan brukes som eksempel på hva formidling også kan være (Åshild Fagervold, 2020)

Veiledet lesing på 1.trinn - En kvalitativ studie av læreres opplevelser og erfaringer med Veiledet lesing på 1.trinn

Denne studien handler om Veiledet lesing, som er en systematisk lesemetode som ofte organiseres i stasjonsundervisning. Problemstillingen som jeg har undersøkt er følgende: Hvordan erfarer og opplever tre lærere å bruke metoden Veiledet lesing på 1.trinn? Jeg har undersøkt hvordan lærere opplever at Veiledet lesing i stasjonsarbeid gir muligheter for tilpasset opplæring. I den forbindelse har jeg sett på hvordan lærere opplever å veilede elever i lesing, og i tillegg belyst hvordan lærere opplever og erfarer de selvinstruerende stasjonene, for å få et helhetlig inntrykk av undervisningsøkta. Elevene på 1.trinn har ulike utgangspunkt når de kommer på skolen. Som lærer og spesialpedagog skal man legge til rette for at alle elever lærer og utvikler seg. Dette skal skje gjennom tilpasset opplæring i fellesskapet. Jeg har i denne studien brukt teorier om tilpasset opplæring, læring, lesing, mestring og relasjoner, og beskrivelser av metoden Veiledet lesing, som teoretisk grunnlag. For å finne svar på problemstillingen, brukte jeg kvalitativ tilnærming og semistrukturert intervju. Jeg intervjuet tre lærere som hadde erfaring med å bruke Veiledet lesing på 1.trinn. Intervjuene ble transkribert og analysert i etterkant. I denne studien fant jeg at informantene opplevde det som positivt å undervise etter metoden Veiledet lesing. De formidlet at de kom tett på elevene på lærerstasjonen, og på den måten fikk bli kjent med elevene, og tilpasset leseopplæringen til den enkelte. Informantene fortalte videre at stasjonsundervisning åpnet for muligheter til å tilpasse opplæringen også på selvinstruerende stasjoner, men at det var en del utfordringer knyttet til organiseringen for elever på 1.trinn. Det kom frem i analysen av datamaterialet at selvinstruerende stasjoner som er lekpreget eller har praktiske oppgaver som kan varieres med hensyn på samarbeid eller individuelt arbeid, fungerer godt for elever på 1.trinn. Til sist kom det frem at informantene mente at elever på 1.trinn trenger hyppig lærerveiledning på faglige oppgaver, og spesielt ved skriving, noe som gjør denne typen oppgaver utfordrende for selvinstruerende stasjoner

En kvalitativ studie av strategier i sammenheng med kontekstbasert matematikkundervisning

Målet med denne studien var å undersøke hvilke strategier som er blitt brukt til å løse en arealoppgave av en gruppe med 4. trinnselever i sammenheng med en kontekst-oppgave. Studien baserer seg på elevarbeid fra et opplegg med undersøkende matematikk laget av Fosnot m.fl. Denne studien handler matematisk sett om areal og vil se om følgende forskningsspørsmål kan besvares: Hvilke strategier bruker 4.trinns elever til løsning av kontekstbaserte arealoppgaver? Denne problemstillingen skal forsøkes besvares med et kvalitativt utvalg av forskning av 50 elever på 4. trinn ved en barneskole i Trøndelag. For å besvare problemstillingen har jeg selv holdt undervisningen og har samlet inn deres elevarbeid i form av plakater som de har produsert sammen i læringspar. Jeg har kategorisert og analysert de innsamlede strategiene med en konstant komparativ analysemetode for å finne svar på problemstillingen. Jeg tok med meg de fire mest brukte strategiene videre til analysering, som videre ble drøftet i henhold til utvalgt teori. Teoriene jeg har brukt til til å finne svar på problemstillingen er: Undersøkende og kontekstbasert matematikkundervisning, arealforståelse,tallforståelse, instrumentell og relasjonell forståelse, indre og ytre motivasjon, tilpasset opplæring og strategi.The aim of this study was to investigate what strategies that have been used to solve an area assignment of a group of 4th grade students in conjunction with a contextual assignment. The study is based on a unit developed to work with inquiry-based and investigations from student that is made by Fosnot et.al. This study concerns mathematically about area and will see if the following research questions can be answered: Which strategies use 4. step students to solve context-based areas? will be attempted with a qualitative selection of research by 50 pupils in the 4th grade at a primary school in Trøndelag. In order to answer the problem, I myself have held the instruction and have collected their student work in the form of posters that they have produced together in “learning pairs”. I have categorized and analyzed the collected strategies with a constant comparative analysis method to find answers to the problem. I took with me the four most commonly used strategies for analysis, which was further discussed in accordance with selected theory. The theories I have used to find answers to the problem are: investigate and context-based mathematics teaching, understanding for area, numerical understanding, instrumental and relational understanding, inner and outer motivation, adapted education and theory about strategy

The role of dehalorespiring bacteria in the reductive dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls in Baltimore harbor sediment microcosms

Baltimore Harbor sediment microcosms were incubated with the 12 most predominant congeners in Aroclor 1260 and their intermediate products to identify the major dechlorination pathways. Most congeners were dechlorinated in the meta position, although some dechlorination in the para and ortho positions was observed. The major dechlorination products were tetrachlorinated biphenyls with unflanked chlorines. Specific dechlorination rates of parent and intermediate PCB congeners were determined to identify the rate limiting reactions. To identify the microorganisms responsible for the dechlorination pathways, I developed PCR primers specific for the 16S rRNA genes of known PCB dehalogenating bacteria. These PCR primers were used in conjunction with DGGE to selectively identify the microorganisms that catalyzed each dechlorination reaction. Only three phylotypes were identified that catalyze the dechlorination of Aroclor 1260, and the selective activities of these phylotypes were determined. Phylotype DEH10 had high sequence similarity to Dehalococcoides spp., while phylotype SF1 had high sequence similarity to the o-17/DF-1 group of PCB dechlorinating bacteria. The third phylotype had 100% sequence similarity to the ortho-dechlorinating bacterium o-17 described previously from Baltimore Harbor sediments. Most dechlorination reactions for all three phylotypes were growth-linked, indicating that PCB-impacted environments have the potential to sustain populations of PCB dechlorinating organisms. To investigate whether bioaugmentation would be feasible for bioremediation of PCB contaminated sites, Baltimore Harbor sediment microcosms were supplemented with known dechlorinators and their effects on PCBs dechlorination patterns determined. The addition of different dechlorinators resulted in different dechlorination patterns. Finally, novel putative reductive dehalogenases were identified from the PCB dechlorinating bacterium DF-1 using degenerate PCR primers. Comparative sequence analyses indicated that they had high sequence similarity to both confirmed and putative dehalogenases from several Dehalococcoides species. In conclusion, microorganisms that can dechlorinate Aroclor 1260 have been identified for the first time and dechlorination of congener mixtures was shown to occur by the growth-linked complementary activities of bacterial consortia within the Chloroflexi. Demonstration that bioaugmentation with these organisms can influence rates and pathways of dechlorination, combined with the development of molecular assay for monitoring their fate, provide potentially valuable tools for the development of bioremedial strategies for PCB contaminated sediments

Seasonal dynamics of active SAR11 ecotypes in the oligotrophic Northwest Mediterranean Sea

A seven-year oceanographic time series in NW Mediterranean surface waters was combined with pyrosequencing of ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) and ribosomal RNA gene copies (16S rDNA) to examine the environmental controls on SAR11 ecotype dynamics and potential activity. SAR11 diversity exhibited pronounced seasonal cycles remarkably similar to total bacterial diversity. The timing of diversity maxima was similar across narrow and broad phylogenetic clades and strongly associated with deep winter mixing. Diversity minima were associated with periods of stratification that were low in nutrients and phytoplankton biomass and characterised by intense phosphate limitation (turnover time80%) by SAR11 Ia. A partial least squares (PLS) regression model was developed that could reliably predict sequence abundances of SAR11 ecotypes (Q2=0.70) from measured environmental variables, of which mixed layer depth was quantitatively the most important. Comparison of clade-level SAR11 rRNA:rDNA signals with leucine incorporation enabled us to partially validate the use of these ratios as an in-situ activity measure. However, temporal trends in the activity of SAR11 ecotypes and their relationship to environmental variables were unclear. The strong and predictable temporal patterns observed in SAR11 sequence abundance was not linked to metabolic activity of different ecotypes at the phylogenetic and temporal resolution of our study

Occurrence and environmental distribution of 5 UV filters during the 1 summer season in different water bodies

International audienceOrganic UV filters are used worldwide in various personal care products as well as textiles, paints, plastic, food and adhesives. They are main ingredients in sunscreen lotions that are used heavily by beachgoers in the summer season. There is thus an increasing concern regarding the fate of organic UV filters in the environment and their impact on living organisms. Many of the UV filters in use are hydrophobic and are expected to accumulate in the sediment phase in aquatic systems, but this has yet to be validated in situ. We targeted the UV filters benzophenone 3 (BP3), butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDBM), diethylhexyl butamido triazone (DBT), bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (BEMT) and methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (MBBT) in a freshwater lake and in a coastal bay in order to understand their distribution during summer 2016. Further, we examined their environmental partitioning by collecting samples from the surface water, the sediment phase and water surface microlayer (SML). We show for the first time the presence of DBT, BEMT and MBBT in environmental matrices (water, SML, and sediment). Notably, these UV filters were detected at low amounts in surface waters with maximum concentrations of 9.9 ng/L for DBT, 18.4 ng/L for BEMT and below detection limits for MBBT, and somewhat higher concentrations in the SML, with maximum concentrations of 43.3 ng/L for DBT, 5625.4 ng/L for BEMT and 45.6 ng/L for MBBT. These filters were detected at even greater concentrations in the sediments, with maximum concentrations of 652.6 ng/g for DBT, 115.0 ng/g for BEMT and 75.2 ng/g for MBBT (dry weight sediment). We also performed controlled laboratory experiments to determine their partitioning behavior and we verified the actual solubility of many of the filters. This will help in determining the environmental fate and finally lead to a better risk assessment of these compounds. Together, these results corroborate the hypothesis that hydrophobic UV filters accumulate in the sediment phase and highlight the importance of discerning whether these UV filters impact the benthic community and their potential for bioaccumulation

Paleocene methane seep and wood-fall marine environments from Spitsbergen, Svalbard

A recently discovered Paleocene seep locality from Fossildalen on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, is described. This is one of a very few seep communities of the latest Cretaceous–earliest Palaeogene age, and the best preserved Paleocene seep community known so far. The seep carbonates and associated fossils have been first identified in museum collections, and subsequently sampled in the field. The carbonates are exclusively ex-situ and come from the offshore siltstones of the Basilika Formation. Isotopically light composition (δ13C values approaching -50‰ V-PDB), and characteristic petrographic textures of the carbonates combined with the isotopically light archaeal lipid are consistent with the formation at fossil hydrocarbon seep. The invertebrate fauna associated with the carbonates is of moderate diversity (16 species) and has a shallow water affinity. It contains a species of the thyasirid genus Conchocele, common in other seeps of that age. The finding sheds new light onto the history of seepage on Svalbard, and onto the evolution and ecology of seep faunas during the latest Cretaceous–earliest Palaeogene time interval

Effect of Activated Carbon Amendment on Bacterial Community Structure and Functions in a PAH Impacted Urban Soil

ABSTRACT: We collected urban soil samples impacted by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from a sorbent-based remediation field trial to address concerns about unwanted side-effects of 2 % powdered (PAC) or granular (GAC) activated carbon amendment on soil microbiology and pollutant biodegradation. After three years, total microbial cell counts and respiration rates were highest in the GAC amended soil. The predominant bacterial community structure derived from denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) shifted more strongly with time than in response to AC amendment. DGGE band sequencing revealed the presence of taxa with closest affiliations either to known PAH degraders, e.g. Rhodococcus jostii RHA-1, or taxa known to harbor PAH degraders, e.g. Rhodococcus erythropolis, in all soils. Quantification by real-time polymerase chain reaction yielded similar dioxygenases gene copy numbers in unamended, PAC-, or GACamended soil. PAH availability assessments in batch tests showed th