A Call for Urgent Monitoring of Food and Water Security Based on Relevant Indicators for the Arctic

This perspective paper argues for an urgent need to monitor a set of 12 concrete, measurable indicators of food and water security in the Arctic over time. Such a quantitative indicator approach may be viewed as representing a reductionist rather than a holistic perspective, but is nevertheless necessary for actually knowing what reality aspects to monitor in order to accurately understand, quantify, and be able to project critical changes to food and water security of both indigenous and non-indigenous people in the Arctic. More relevant indicators may be developed in the future, taking us further toward reconciliation between reductionist and holistic approaches to change assessment and understanding. However, the potential of such further development to improved holistic change assessment is not an argument not to urgently start to monitor and quantify the changes in food and water security indicators that are immediately available and adequate for the Arctic context

Mistreatment of university students most common during medical studies

BACKGROUND: This study concerns the occurrence of various forms of mistreatment by staff and fellow students experienced by students in the Faculty of Medicine and the other four faculties of the University of Oulu, Finland. METHODS: A questionnaire with 51 questions on various forms of physical and psychological mistreatment was distributed to 665 students (451 females) after lectures or examinations and filled in and returned. The results were analysed by gender and faculty. The differences between the males and females were assessed statistically using a test for the equality of two proportions. An exact two-sided P value was calculated using a mid-P approach to Fisher's exact test (the null hypothesis being that there is no difference between the two proportions). RESULTS: About half of the students answering the questionnaire had experienced some form of mistreatment by staff during their university studies, most commonly humiliation and contempt (40%), negative or disparaging remarks (34%), yelling and shouting (23%), sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based mistreatment (17%) and tasks assigned as punishment (13%). The students in the Faculty of Medicine reported every form of mistreatment more commonly than those in the Faculties of Humanities, Education, Science and Technology. Experiences of mistreatment varied, but clear messages regarding its patterns were to be found in each faculty. Female students reported more instances of mistreatment than males and were more disturbed by them. Professors, lecturers and other staff in particular mistreated female students more than they mistreated males. About half of the respondents reported some form of mistreatment by their fellow students. CONCLUSION: Students in the Faculty of Medicine reported the greatest amount of mistreatment. If a faculty mistreats its students, its success in the main tasks of universities, research, teaching and learning, will be threatened. The results challenge university teachers, especially in faculties of medicine, to evaluate their ability to create a safe environment conducive to learning

A Call for Urgent Monitoring of Food and Water Security Based on Relevant Indicators for the Arctic

This perspective paper argues for an urgent need to monitor a set of 12 concrete, measurable indicators of food and water security in the Arctic over time. Such a quantitative indicator approach may be viewed as representing a reductionist rather than a holistic perspective, but is nevertheless necessary for actually knowing what reality aspects to monitor in order to accurately understand, quantify, and be able to project critical changes to food and water security of both indigenous and non-indigenous people in the Arctic. More relevant indicators may be developed in the future, taking us further toward reconciliation between reductionist and holistic approaches to change assessment and understanding. However, the potential of such further development to improved holistic change assessment is not an argument not to urgently start to monitor and quantify the changes in food and water security indicators that are immediately available and adequate for the Arctic context

Population ageing dynamics in the North Atlantic region of the Arctic

Abstract This paper contributes to our understanding of the demographic developments and the transition to older age structures in the sparsely populated Arctic region: in Iceland and in the two Danish autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. We compare the population ageing dynamics of the region with those of mainland Denmark for the 1980–2015 period. We also examine whether population ageing has been developing differently in the communities of the North than in Denmark, and shed light on the question of whether a regionally specific policy approach to population ageing is required. In our study, ageing is measured by applying a dual methodology. The two sets of indicators are based on calculations of “chronological” and “prospective” ages. The latter is an innovative approach developed by Sanderson and Scherbov (2008) that considers improvements in life expectancy over time. Our results show that the size of the North Atlantic region’s older population is well below the Danish national average. According to chronological indicators, the ageing rates have been rising in recent years. Prospective indicators, which take into account changes in population longevity, also provide information about competing trends in population rejuvenation. In addition, the prospective approach reveals a cross-territorial convergence in recent decades, as well as a slower pace of ageing that can be accounted for in policy planning

Temporal trends of contaminants in Arctic human populations

Abstract The first Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) report was published in 1998 and followed by three assessment reports of human health (AMAP 2003, 2009 and 2015). The focus area of the AMAP reports was to monitor levels of environmental contaminants in the Arctic and to assess the health effects connected with detected levels in Arctic countries. This review gives an overview of temporal trends of contaminants and their health effects in humans of the Arctic based on data published by AMAP, as well as Russian scientific literature. Several time series of 31 contaminants in humans of the Arctic from different cohorts are reported. The lengths of time series and periods covered differ from each other. International restrictions have decreased the levels of most persistent organic pollutants in humans and food webs. Percentage changes for contaminants in human biological matrices (blood samples from children, mothers and males and breast milk samples) for the period of sampling showed declining trends in most of the monitored Arctic locations, with the exception of oxychlordane, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE153) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs)

Chloro-s-triazines-toxicokinetic, toxicodynamic, human exposure, and regulatory considerations

Abstract Chloro-s-triazines-atrazine, cyanazine, propazine, simazine, and terbuthylazine-are structurally similar herbicides, differing only in specific s-triazine4-and 6-N alkyl substituents. It is generally regarded that their toxicokinetics, such as, metabolic pathways, biological effects and toxicities, also share more similar features than the differences. Consequently, it is useful to compare their characteristics to potentially find useful structure-activity relationships or other similarities or differences regarding different active compounds, their metabolites, and biological effects including toxic outcomes. The ultimate goal of these exercises is to apply the summarized knowledge-as far as it is possible regarding a patchy and often inadequate database-to cross the in vitro-in vivo and animal-human borders and integrate the available data to enhance toxicological risk assessment for the benefit of humans and ecosystems

Oulun yliopisto opiskelijoiden työyhteisönä:kyselytutkimus opiskelijoiden kokemasta huonosta kohtelusta

Tiivistelmä Opettaminen ja oppiminen muodostavat yliopiston keskeisen toiminnan. Kysyimme perustutkintoa opiskelevilta opiskeluun liittyvistä kielteisistä kokemuksista ja huonosta kohtelusta Oulun yliopiston kaikissa tiedekunnissa vuonna 1996. Tutkimukseen osallistui 665 alku- ja loppuvaiheen perustutkinto-opiskelijaa, joista naisia oli 451 ja miehiä 211. Kyselykaavake sisälsi 51 kysymystä, joilla kartoitettiin sekä opiskelijatovereiden että henkilökunnan aiheuttamaa omakohtaisesti koettua huonoa kohtelua tai kiusaamista, väärinkäyttöä, uhkailua, syrjintää, rotusortoa tai sukupuolista häirintää. Vastaajia pyydettiin myös arvioimaan huonon kohtelun yleisyyttä yliopisto-opintojen aikana. Joka toinen opiskelija koki, että henkilökunta oli kohdellut häntä huonosti vähintään yhden kerran yliopisto-opiskelun aikana. Naiset ilmoittivat huonosta kohtelusta useammin kuin miehet (p = 0,0005). Huonosti kohdeltujen opiskelijoiden määrä lisääntyi opintovuosien myötä. Henkilökunta oli kohdellut töykeästi kerran joka viidettä nais- ja miesopiskelijaa. Kahdesta kolmeen kertaa huonoa kohtelua oli kokenut 20 % naisista (76 opiskelijaa) ja 9 % miehistä (18 opiskelijaa). Yli 4 kertaa töykeän kohtelun kohteeksi oli joutunut joka kymmenes opiskelija. Professorit (p = 0,04), lehtorit ja tuntiopettajat (p <  0,0001) ja muu kuin opetushenkilökunta (p = 0,02) kohtelivat naisopiskelijoita huonommin kuin miehiä. Yleisin huonon kohtelun muoto oli halveksiminen ja nöyryyttäminen, minkä kohteeksi ilmoitti joutuneensa naisista joka kolmas ja miehistä joka viides. Seuraaviksi yleisimmät huonon kohtelun muodot olivat opetushenkilökunnan huutaminen ja karjuminen (11 %), simputus (11 %) sekä sukupuolisen syrjinnän ja häirinnän kohteeksi joutuminen (12 %). Opiskelijatoverit käyttäytyivät toisiaan kohtaan epäasiallisesti ja loukkaavasti. Joka neljäs nainen ja joka viides mies ilmoitti opiskelijatoverin halveksineen tai nöyryyttäneen häntä. Yhtä usein opiskelijatoverit esittivät kielteisiä tai halveksivia huomautuksia vastaajan valitsemasta ammattiurasta. 19 % nais- ja 16 % miesopiskelijoista ilmoitti toisen opiskelijan vieneen häneltä kunnian hänen tekemästään työstä. Naiset kokivat useammin huonompaa kohtelua toveriensa taholta kuin miehet. Sukupuolisesta syrjinnästä ja häirinnästä mies- ja naisopiskelijat ilmoittivat yhtä paljon (miehet 7,7 %, naiset 6,1 %). Nais- ja miesopiskelijoiden vastaukset henkilökunnan taholta tapahtuneesta sukupuolisesta häirinnästä ja syrjinnästä erosivat selvästi. Yhteensä 115 opiskelijaa oli kokenut tai havainnut sukupuolista häirintää tai syrjintää: naisista joka viides ja miehistä joka kymmenes. Naiset (18 %) ilmoittivat häirinnästä tai syrjinnästä useammin kuin miehet (5,3 %) (p = 0,0002). Naiset ilmoittivat sukupuolen halveksintaa (12 % naiset ja 3,4 % miehet, p = 0,0007) ja suosikkijärjestelmän käyttöä (naiset 9,0 % ja miehet 2,9 %, p = 0,004) esiintyvän enemmän kuin miehet. Sukupuolen takia huonon arvosanan arveli saaneensa 3,8 % naisista ja 2,4 % miehistä. Lähentelyn kohteeksi joutuivat molemmat sukupuolet yhtä paljon (3,4 %). Avoimissa vastauksissaan naisopiskelijat kertoivat jäävänsä usein miesten varjoon ja saavansa miehiä huonompaa tai seksuaalissävytteistä kohtelua. Sekä miehet että naiset ilmoittivat enenevästi sukupuolisesta häirinnästä ja syrjinnästä opiskelujen edetessä. Opiskelijoiden vastauksissa oli suuria eroja kysyttäessä omakohtaisesti koettua ja yliopistossa yleensä esiintyvää huonoa kohtelua. Esimerkiksi joka neljäs opiskelija ilmoitti joutuneensa halveksinnan ja nöyryyttämisen kohteeksi, mutta kysyttäessä näiden esiintymistä yleensä yliopisto-opetuksessa 73 % vastasi myöntävästi. Naiset arvelivat huonon kohtelun olevan yleisempää kuin miehet. Loppupäätelmänä voidaan todeta, että sekä opiskelijatoverit että henkilökunta käyttäytyvät usein epäasiallisesti ja töykeästi. Naisopiskelijat ilmoittavat säännönmukaisesti useammin huonommasta kohtelusta kuin miehet, ja he kiusaantuvat siitä enemmän kuin miehet. Monet huonon kohtelun muodot ovat vaikeasti todennettavissa muutoin kuin olemalla itse vuorovaikutustilanteessa mukana ja aistimalla myös muu kuin verbaalinen viestintä. Kun huonoa kohtelua tapahtuu, kaikille tilanteessa mukana olleille jää mielikuva huonon kohtelun tavallisuudesta. Elinikäisen oppimisen perusta luodaan ja usein uudet tutkijat ja opettajat valitaan eri laitoksille jo perusopintojen aikana. Sellainen oppimisympäristö, joka ei pysty kohtaamaan opiskelijoita aikuisina, tasavertaisina yhteisön jäseninä, ei voi toimia hyvän oppimisen keskuksena. Ilman vuorovaikutustaitojen jatkuvaa kehittämistä opetuksen parantamiseen käytetyt voimavarat jäävät osin hyödyntämättä

Permafrost thaw challenges and life in Svalbard

Abstract Svalbard is facing changes related to climate change and permafrost thaw, which have impacts on the life and well-being of people. This study evaluated impacts of climate change and permafrost thaw on the life of locals living in Longyearbyen, Svalbard and focused on investigating self-rated health, well-being, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and feeling of empowerment when facing the changes and impacts. The aim was to find out which perceived environmental and adaptation factors relate to these dependent variables. The data was collected using a multidisciplinary questionnaire (n = 84); for statistical analysis cross-tabulation was used and the associations were tested either by the Pearson χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test, when appropriate. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to investigate associations between the dependent variables and perceived environmental and adaptation factors. Results suggested that well-being, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and life balance (a sum variable of earlier parameters) were associated with the recognized challenges related to infrastructure or physical environment. Quality of life and life balance were supported by the opinion that not enough has been done to adapt to permafrost thaw by national and global authorities. Despite recognized challenges, participants appear to live satisfied lives. People seemed to have knowledge about the impacts of permafrost thaw, they wanted to adapt to the changes, but more actions are needed from national and global authorities. Research with a larger sample size is needed due to the complexity of the relationships between people, holistic well-being, and climate change

Age-inclusive Arctic outdoor spaces: a policy review in four Nordic countries

In the last decade, policy strategies were adopted in response to population ageing in the Nordic countries. Governmental actions have to be evaluated in terms of their efficacy. The objective of this article is to identify and review the policies related to age-inclusive outdoor spaces in the Arctic regions of Nordic countries. Our analysis focuses on central government white papers that address the older adults in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. A review of such policy documents provides insights into the predominant understandings of older adults and healthy ageing. Moreover, such analysis may identify “blind spots” in the national policies, especially regarding the sparsely researched northernmost and rural Arctic territories. Our results demonstrate how the older populations in the Nordic Arctic and their access to outdoor spaces are addressed in the policy documents. We found that with few exceptions, the older people of the rural Arctic is strikingly absent in the Nordic national governmental papers. Moreover, access to outdoor spaces is mentioned in general terms, and specific challenges of the rural Arctic context, such as the harsh climate, long winters and geographical distances are not addressed. The noticed omissions might be the result of “urban-rural”, “south-north”, “indoor-outdoor”, and “generalisation” biases.Validerad;2024;Nivå 2;2024-04-15 (signyg);Funder: The Nordic Arctic Co-operation Programme;Full text license: CC BY-NC</p