Bør vi snakke om porno i barneskolen? En studie om undervisning tilknyttet seksualitet og pornografi på mellomtrinnet

Selv om pornografi har eksistert i årtusener har innholdet og tilgjengeligheten de siste tiårene utviklet seg i en eksplosiv fart. Barn og unge i Norge i dag har stor tilgang til digitale verktøy, og det er en økning i andelen som eksponeres for pornografisk innhold på nett. Denne studien har undersøkt hvordan denne nye hverdagen blir behandlet i barneskolen. Lærere i naturfag og samfunnsfag har gjennom en spørreundersøkelse svart på hvordan denne tematikken blir håndtert på barneskolen. Lærerne har blant annet blitt spurt om de mener det bør undervises om hva pornografi er på mellomtrinnet. Et stort flertall svarte at dette temaet bør tas opp, og over halvparten av lærerne har undervist om pornografi på mellomtrinnet. Undervisningen som skjer er i hovedsak gjennomført med utgangspunkt i dialog, og oppstår som oftest spontant i klasserommet. Ved å i større grad gjennomføre planlagt undervisning om pornografi, kan innholdet knyttes til det tverrfaglige temaet folkehelse og livsmestring. Det vil kunne gi elevene bedre informasjon og veiledning på dette området

Predator co-occurrence in alpine and Arctic tundra in relation to fluctuating prey

1. Large carnivores influence ecosystem dynamics in multiple ways, for example, by suppressing meso-carnivores and providing carrions for smaller scavengers. Loss of large carnivores is suggested to cause meso-carnivore increase and expansion. Moreover, competition between meso-carnivores may be modified by the presence of larger carnivores. In tundra ecosystems, the smallest meso-carnivore, the Arctic fox, has experienced regional declines, whereas its larger and competitively superior congener, the red fox, has increased, potentially due to changes in the abundance of apex predators. 2. We explored if variation in the occurrence of wolverine and golden eagle impacted the occurrence and co-occurrence of the Arctic fox and red fox in relation to varying abundances of small rodents within the Scandinavian tundra. 3. We applied multi-species occupancy models to an extensive wildlife camera dataset from 2011–2020 covering 98 sites. Daily detection/non-detection of each species per camera trap site and study period (late winter; March–May) was stacked across years, and species occupancy was related to small rodent abundance while accounting for time of the year and status of simulated carcass. 4. The Arctic fox was more likely to co-occur with the red fox when the wolverine was present and less likely to co-occur with the red fox when golden eagles were present and the wolverine was absent. Red foxes increased in occupancy when co-occurring with the larger predators. The Arctic fox responded more strongly to small rodent abundance than the red fox and co-occurred more often with the other species at carcasses when rodent abundance was low. 5. Our findings suggest that the interspecific interactions within this tundra predator guild appear to be surprisingly intricate, driven by facets of fear of predation, interspecific mediation and facilitation, and food resource dynamics. These dynamics of intraguild interactions may dictate where and when conservation actions targeted towards the Arctic fox should be implemented

A screening for canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus and carnivore protoparvoviruses in Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Norway

Source at https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2018.1498678 .Canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus (CAdV) and canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) cause disease in dogs (Canis familiaris). These, or closely related viruses, may also infect wild carnivores. The aim of this study was to investigate exposure to CDV, CAdV and CPV-2 among fox populations in Norway. Arctic foxes (n = 178) from High-Arctic Svalbard were investigated for antibodies against CDV. Arctic foxes (n = 301) from Svalbard and red foxes from LowArctic (n = 326) and sub-Arctic (n = 74) regions in Finnmark County, Norway, were investigated for antibodies against CAdV and for the presence of carnivore protoparvovirus DNA in spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes using polymerase chain reaction. Seroprevalence against CDV in Arctic foxes decreased from 25% (1995/96) to 6% (2001/02), whereas the seroprevalence against CAdV increased from 25–40% during the seasons 1995/96 to 2001/02 to 68% for the last study year (2002/03). In red foxes, the seroprevalence against CAdV varied between 31% and 67% for the seasons 2004/05 to 2007/08, increasing to 80% for the last study year. Carnivore protoparvovirus DNA was not detected in any of the 301 Arctic foxes and the 265 red foxes investigated. These results show that CDV and CAdV are enzootic in the Arctic fox population (Svalbard), and that CAdV is enzootic in both the Low-Arctic and subArctic red fox populations (Finnmark). Further studies are needed to better understand the infection biology and the impact of CDV and CAdV in these fox populations, and if viruses may be shared between foxes and other carnivores, including dogs

Using machine learning to provide automatic image annotation for wildlife camera traps in the Arctic

Source at https://hdl.handle.net/10037/26504.The arctic tundra is considered the terrestrial biome expected to be most impacted by climate change, with temperatures projected to increase as much as 10 °C by the turn of the century. The Climate-ecological Observatory for Arctic Tundra (COAT) project monitors the climate and ecosystems using several sensor types. We report on results from projects that automate image annotations from two of the camera traps used by COAT: an artificial tunnel under the snow for capturing information about small mammals, and an open-air camera trap using bait that captures information of a range of larger sized birds and mammals. These traps currently produce over two million pictures per year. We have developed and trained several Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models to automate annotation of images from these camera traps. Results show that we get a high accuracy: 97.84% for tunnel traps, and 94.1% for bait traps. This exceeds previous state of the art in animal identification on camera trap images, and is at a level where we can already relieve experts from manual annotation of images

Rodent population cycle as a determinant of gastrointestinal nematode abundance in a low-arctic population of the red fox

We analyzed an 11-year time series (2005–2015) of parasite abundance for three intestinal nematode species in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as a function of the multi-annual rodent population cycle in low-arctic Norway, while correcting for other potential covariates that could influence prevalence and abundance. Rodents are paratenic and facultative intermediate hosts for the two Ascarididae species Toxascaris leonina and Toxocara canis, respectively and key prey for the red fox. Still the relative importance of indirect transmission through rodents and direct transmission through free-living stages is unclear. Abundance of these Ascarididae species in individual red foxes (N = 612) exhibited strongly cyclic dynamics that closely mirrored the 4-year rodent cycle. Negative binomial models provided evidence for a direct proportional increase in Ascarididae abundance with rodent density suggesting that predator functional response to rodent prey is the key transmission mechanism. In contrast, no cycles and constantly very low abundance were apparent for Uncinaria stenocephala – a third nematode species recorded without paratenic or intermediate stages

Naturfag utenfor klasserommet fra et Nordnorsk perspektiv

This survey investigated how teachers in the northernmost parts of Norway use outdoor science teaching, and what they consider to be the most important challenges. Most teachers report that they do outdoor science activities a couple of times a year, more often in primary school than secondary school. The topics covered are largely related to biology during autumn and spring. Factors that inhibit use of outdoor teaching are related to the length of classes and time to prepare, together with lack of competence and weather challenges. Both expectation from parents and encouragement from management had little influence on the use of outdoor teaching, while the teacher own interest of outdoor life and the fact that students enjoyed such teaching were important elements. Moreover, experienced teachers considered the student group’s characteristics to be of importance for how much outdoor teaching was used compared to teachers who had worked for less than five years. Our study also confirmed that the teacher’s perception of species knowledge was closely linked to their own interest in nature

Outdoor science education from a Northern perspective

This survey investigated how teachers in the northernmost parts of Norway use outdoor science teaching, and what they consider to be the most important challenges. Most teachers report that they do outdoor science activities a couple of times a year, more often in primary school than secondary school. The topics covered are largely related to biology during autumn and spring. Factors that inhibit use of outdoor teaching are related to the length of classes and time to prepare, together with lack of competence and weather challenges. Both expectation from parents and encouragement from management had little influence on the use of outdoor teaching, while the teacher own interest of outdoor life and the fact that students enjoyed such teaching were important elements. Moreover, experienced teachers considered the student group’s characteristics to be of importance for how much outdoor teaching was used compared to teachers who had worked for less than five years. Our study also confirmed that the teacher’s perception of species knowledge was closely linked to their own interest in nature

Declining willow ptarmigan populations : the role of habitat structure and community dynamics

The recent range contractions and population declines of many grouse species worldwide have been attributed to loss and fragmentation of their habitats, although the empirical evidence for the actual drivers is often weak. In case of the willow ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus in Fennoscandia, ungulate overbrowsing of willows has been hypothesized to exert such negative habitat-related impacts. Moreover, a steep population decline of willow ptarmigan in southern Fennoscandia has recently been attributed to community interactions linking the fate of the willow ptarmigan to a change in keystone tundra rodent populations. Community and habitat factors may also interact in their impact on willow ptarmigan abundance. Here we assess whether willow thicket structural characteristics sensitive to ungulate browsing impacted willow ptarmigan habitat occupancy and whether such impacts depended on small rodent population dynamics. We employed an extensive survey approach spatially encompassing three riparian tundra regions and covering the phases of increase, peak and crash of the small rodent cycle. Willow ptarmigan habitat occupancy increased with the areal extent of willow thickets, whereas it decreased with increasing degree of thicket fragmentation (i.e. habitat shredding). Both of these effects were consistent with ungulate over-browsing impacting willow ptarmigan abundance negatively. Over the 4-year study period, willow ptarmigan habitat occupancy declined steeply independently of spatial variation in willow thicket areal extent and fragmentation. Moreover, the expected increase in ptarmigan populations during the increase/peak phase of the rodent cycle was not observed. Thus although our study provides support for the hypothesis that intense ungulate browsing negatively impacts willow ptarmigan, our study also suggests that causes of the current steep decline of ptarmigan populations in northern Fennoscandia should be sought in factors other than habitat fragmentation and changed rodent population dynamic

Under the snow: a new camera trap opens the white box of subnivean ecology

Snow covers the ground over large parts of the world for a substantial portion of the year. Yet very few methods are available to quantify biotic variables below the snow, with most studies of subnivean ecological processes relying on comparisons of data before and after the snow cover season. We developed a camera trap prototype to quantify subnivean small mammal activity. The trap consists of a camera that is attached facing downward from the ceiling of a box, which is designed to function as a snow-free tunnel. We tested it by placing nine traps with passive infrared sensors in a subarctic habitat where snow cover lasted for about 6 months. The traps were functional for the whole winter, permitting continuous data collection of site-specific presence and temporal activity patterns of all three small mammal species present (the insectivorous common shrew, Sorex araneus, the herbivorous tundra vole, Microtus oeconomus, and the carnivorous stoat, Mustela erminea) as well as abiotic conditions (presence/absence of snow cover and subnivean temperature). Based on their successful functioning (only 6% of the photographs appeared empty or were of poor quality, whereas ca 80% were of small mammals and the remaining of birds and invertebrates), we discuss how the new camera trap can enable subnivean studies of small mammal communities. This greatly increases the temporal resolution and extent of data collection and thereby provides unpreceded opportunities to understand population and food web dynamics in ecosystems with snow cover