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Pace, Space, and Place: Seasonal movement and space use of fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox) in western Madagascar
Get PDFThis study investigates the seasonal movement dynamics and space use of the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox), an apex predator endemic to Madagascar, within the fragmented tropical dry forests of the island’s western region. Given the pronounced seasonality of the region and the fosa's unique mating behavior, we analyzed GPS-tracked movements to determine how space use varies across wet, dry, and breeding seasons. We focused on movement persistence, home range estimation, and seasonal home range overlap, incorporating sex and seasonal variables to understand spatial strategies of the fosa. Results indicated that male home ranges expanded significantly during the breeding season, correlating with increased movement persistence likely driven by mate-seeking behavior. While we hypothesized that resource availability would influence space use, we observed minimal seasonal differences in home range size between wet and dry seasons, possibly due to dietary shifts that mitigate dry season resource scarcity. Overlap analyses revealed range fidelity across individuals, highlighting the consistent use of key areas despite moderate seasonal shifts. These findings underscore the fosa's spatial stability and adaptability within a fragmented landscape, providing critical insights into habitat needs and informing conservation strategies.This study investigates the seasonal movement dynamics and space use of the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox), an apex predator endemic to Madagascar, within the fragmented tropical dry forests of the island’s western region. Given the pronounced seasonality of the region and the fosa's unique mating behavior, we analyzed GPS-tracked movements to determine how space use varies across wet, dry, and breeding seasons. We focused on movement persistence, home range estimation, and seasonal home range overlap, incorporating sex and seasonal variables to understand spatial strategies of the fosa. Results indicated that male home ranges expanded significantly during the breeding season, correlating with increased movement persistence likely driven by mate-seeking behavior. While we hypothesized that resource availability would influence space use, we observed minimal seasonal differences in home range size between wet and dry seasons, possibly due to dietary shifts that mitigate dry season resource scarcity. Overlap analyses revealed range fidelity across individuals, highlighting the consistent use of key areas despite moderate seasonal shifts. These findings underscore the fosa's spatial stability and adaptability within a fragmented landscape, providing critical insights into habitat needs and informing conservation strategies
Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape
Get PDFWildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human–wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.publishedVersio
Betydningen av sosial støtte for norske forsvarsfamilier
Get PDFMålet med studien var å utforske betydningen av sosial støtte for norske forsvarsfamilier. Ved å bruke Bronfenbrenners (1979) bioøkologiske teori som rammemodell, undersøker studien hvordan sosial støtte kan komme fra flere systemer rundt familiene, som eksempelvis fra Forsvaret selv, samt fra familiens utvidede nettverk som familie og venner. Sosial støtte kan komme i mange former og være både praktisk og emosjonell. Studien søker å undersøke om noen av disse formene for støtte er av betydning for partnernes tilfredshet og familienes ønske om å fortsette tilværelsen. Metode Åtte militære ektefeller, både menn og kvinner, deltok i kvalitative, semi-strukturerte intervjuer og besvarte spørsmål om deres hverdagsliv. Etterpå ble intervjuene transkribert, analysert og kategorisert av forskeren ved hjelp av tematisk analyse. Studien er av fenomenologisk, induktiv art. Resultatene viser at den sosiale støtten som gis fra de militære bioøkologiske systemene (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) rundt familiene kan være av en så stor betydning, særlig for de ikke-militære partnerne, at de risikerer å havne i en catch-22 hvor de mister viktige deler av sitt støtteapparat dersom samlivsbrudd blir nødvendig for paret. Samtidig kommer en stor del av familienes belastninger fra Forsvaret selv. Konklusjon Studiens funn støtter en implikasjon om at sosial støtte er av betydning for partnernes trivsel, og deres opplevelse av å mangle sosial støtte fra flere systemer bidrar til at de er ambivalente til om de ønsker å fortsette tilværelsen som forsvarsfamilie eller ikke. Når det gjelder partnerne som selv er militære, omhandler mangelen på sosial støtte tilsynelatende formelle former for støtte fra Forsvaret, mens de sivile partnerne opplever å mangle støtte fra flere omringende systemer.The aim of this study was to explore the importance of social support for Norwegian military families. By using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) bioecological theory as a framing model this study investigates how social support can emerge from several systems surrounding the families, like the Norwegian Defense itself and from the families´ extended network containing other family members and friends. Social support can be provided in both practical as well as psychological forms, and this study aims to investigate whether any of these forms of support are of importance for the military spouse’s well-being and satisfaction regarding the family’s situation. Method Eight military spouses, both male and female, participated in semi-structured, qualitative interviews where they answered questions about their everyday life. The interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and categorized by the researcher using thematic analyses. This study has a phenomenological, inductive take on the question on hand which is “are social support of any importance for the spouse’s well-being or the family`s choice on whether they want to continue as a military family or if they want to quit?”
Results This study shows that the social support given from the military systems surrounding the families can be of such large importance, especially for the non-military spouses, that they risk ending up in a catch-22 where they lose important parts of their support system if a break-up between the couple becomes necessary. At the same time, a great deal of the families’ burdens stems from the Defense itself. Conclusion The findings support an implication that perceived social support is significant for the spouse’s well-being, and their perception of lacking social support from several systems makes them question whether they want to continue as military families or not. Regarding the spouses who work for the military themselves, the lack of social support is seemingly related to formal forms of support from the Norwegian Defense itself. As for the non-military spouses, the lack of support constitutes from most of their surrounding systems
Macroecological patterns of rodent population dynamics shaped by bioclimatic gradients
Get PDFLong-term studies of cyclic rodent populations have contributed fundamentally to the development of population ecology. Pioneering rodent studies have shown macroecological patterns of population dynamics in relation to latitude and have inspired similar studies in several other taxa. Nevertheless, such studies have not been able to disentangle the role of different environmental variables in shaping the macroecological patterns. We collected rodent time-series from 26 locations spanning 10 latitudinal degrees in the tundra biome of Fennoscandia and assessed how population dynamics characteristics of the most prevalent species varied with latitude and environmental variables. While we found no relationship between latitude and population cycle peak interval, other characteristics of population dynamics showed latitudinal patterns. The environmental predictor variables provided insight into causes of these patterns, as 1) increased proportion of optimal habitat in the landscape led to higher density amplitudes in all species and 2) mid-winter climate variability lowered the amplitude in Norwegian lemmings and grey-sided voles. These results indicate that biome-scale climate and landscape change can be expected to have profound impacts on rodent population cycles and that the macro-ecology of such functionally important tundra ecosystem characteristics is likely to be subjected to transient dynamics. bioclimatic zones, climate, field vole, grey-sided vole, latitude, macroecology, Norwegian lemming, population dynamics, tundra ecosystem, tundra volepublishedVersio
Exploring the experiences of resident doctors in child and adolescent psychiatry with virtual reality-based simulation training: a qualitative study.
Get PDFBackground
The use of virtual reality simulation for the training of non-technical skills among healthcare professionals may improve professional development as well as the quality of care. This study aims to explore the experiences of resident doctors in child and adolescent psychiatry with the use of virtual reality-based simulation for the training of non-technical skills.
Methods
The study had an exploratory qualitative design. Data were collected through observations of thirteen resident doctors in child and adolescent psychiatry during their participation in three virtual reality-based simulation sessions, followed by two focus groups. Data were analyzed using reflective thematic analysis.
Results
The analysis revealed the following three themes: 1) The importance of pedagogical principles, 2) Playful and motionally affected learning, and 3) Observational learning contributing to lifelong learning.
Conclusions
Virtual reality-based simulation was felt to be an appropriate method of training non-technical skills for resident doctors in child and adolescent psychiatry. In particular, the intervention met resident doctors’ desires and needs regarding learning through observation and peer discussions. However, some challenges related to technical issues and the content of the scenarios were highlighted. This method may not only increase the resident doctors’ self-efficacy and competence, but also contribute to their lifelong learning.acceptedVersio
Brukermedvirkning i kommunale helse- og omsorgstjenester på tjenestenivå - “Er det rom for brukermedvirkning?”
Get PDFBakgrunn: Brukermedvirkning brukes for å involvere brukere i å forbedre deres hverdag og
de helse- og omsorgstjenester de er brukere av, og vi har tatt utgangspunkt i helse- og
omsorgstjenesteloven §3-10, med fokus på brukermedvirkningssystemer på tjenestenivå for å
forske på dette.
Hensikt: Vi har gjennom forskning prøvd å få frem hvordan tre kommuner på Østlandet
forholder seg til brukermedvirkning på tjenestenivå i helse- og omsorgstjenesten, og hvilke
systemer som er brukt for å innhente informasjon. Dette for å kartlegge hvilke systemer som
kommunene har og hvordan tjenestene selv opplever at disse fungerer.
Problemstilling: Hvilke tiltak/virkemidler benytter kommunen for brukermedvirkning på
tjenestenivå innen helse- og omsorgstjenestene og hvilke erfaringer har kommunen med
disse?
Metode: Studien bygger på kvalitativt og eksplorerende design, der 12 individuelle intervjuer
er gjennomført i tre kommuner. Vi har også hentet data om brukermedvirkning fra
kommunenes planverk. Kommunene er jevnstore målt i innbyggertall. Vi intervjuet
virksomhetsledere, tjenesteområdeledere og en assisterende kommunalsjef. Dette var ledere vi
tenkte kunne ha god kjennskap til benyttede systemer for å innhente informasjon fra brukere.
Resultater: Brukermedvirkning er et kjent område for informantene, og flere av dem la vekt
på hvor stor viktighet dette har. Brukermedvirkning motiveres ut fra både brukerens rett til å
påvirke helse- og omsorgstjenester de mottar, samt et behov fra det offentlige om å
effektivisere tjenestetilbudet. Vi fant mange gode brukermedvirkningstiltak på tjenestenivå.
Likevel kan det være vanskelig å få gjennomført brukermedvirkningstiltak på ønskelig måte,
hovedsakelig grunnet mangler på ressurser.
Konklusjon: Studien konkluderer med at det er en rekke gode brukermedvirkningstiltak på
tjenestenivå i helse- og omsorgstjenestene i kommunene i dag og at det er varierende erfaring
rundt dette. Det er planlagte og strukturerte tiltak, men det er rom for forbedring, særlig med
tanke på ressurstilgang for iverksetting og drift av medvirkningssystemene. Å samarbeide
med brukerrepresentanter byr også på noen problemstillinger som helse- og
omsorgstjenestene må løse.
Nøkkelord: Brukermedvirkning, brukerinvolvering, tilbakemeldinger, kommune,
ressursbruk, representasjon, helse- og omsorgstjenester, tjenestenivå.Background: User-participation is based on getting feedback from users to let them impact
their day to day lives and their health care services, and we have studied the paragraph §3-10
in the health- and care services act with focus on the service level to research this.
Purpose: Through research, we have tried to figure out how three municipalities at Østlandet
stand by this act and which systems are used, and how they obtain information. The purpose
of this is to get an overview of the systems, and how the services are experiencing how the
systems are working.
Research question: What measures/systems does the municipality use for user participation
at service level within the health- and care services at service level, and what experiences
does the municipalities have with these?
Method: The study is based on qualitative and exploratory design, and we interviewed 12
individuals from three different municipalities. We have also studied the municipal planning
system. The municipalities are of similar size on number of inhabitants. We interviewed
Service Area Managers and one Assistant Municipal Manager. These were managers who we
thought could have good knowledge of the systems and how they obtain information from
users.
Results: User-participation was not an unfamiliar word for the leaders we interviewed in the
different municipalities, and they gave the impression that involving the users was very
important. User participation is motivated by both the user's right to influence the health care
services they receive, as well as a need from the public sector to make the service more
efficient. We found many good user participation measures at the service level. Nevertheless,
it can be difficult to implement user participation measures in the desired way, mainly due to
lack of resources.
Conclusion: The study concludes that there are a number of good systems in the
municipalities at service level in the health- and care services today, and there are different
experiences around this. The systems are planned and structured, but there is room for
improvement, especially regarding access of resources for the implementation and operation
of the user participation systems. Collaborating with user representatives can also cause some
issues that the health and care services must solve.
Keywords: User-participation, user involvement, feedback, municipality, resources, representation, health and care, service level
Muntlig aktivitet i naturfag for minoritetsspråklige elever på voksenopplæringssenter
Get PDFSAMMENDRAG
Dette masterprosjektet omhandler en studie med formål å undersøke flerspråklige elevers deltakelse i gruppesamtale rundt naturfaglige fenomener. Oppgavens utvalg er voksne med minoritetsspråklige bakgrunn som tar grunnskoleopplæring ved et voksenopplæringssenter i Rogaland. Prosjektets hoved problemstillingen er som følger: Hvordan flerspråklige elever interagerer i gruppesamtaler og hvordan de bruker fagbegreper i naturfag i disse samtalene.
For å undersøke dette har jeg utarbeidet to forskningsspørsmål som besvares i oppgaven: Hvordan bruker flerspråklige elever naturfaglige begreper i disse samtalene? Hva karakteriserer gruppesamtaler om naturfaglige temaer i klasserom med flerspråklige elever?
For å besvare problemstillingen har jeg gjennomført en kvalitativ studie. Dataene består av lydopptak fra elevenes gruppe samtaler. Her har samtalen mellom tre elev grupper blitt observert. Den metodiske tilnærmingen bygger på to eksisterende rammeverk som er blitt brukt for å få innsikt i hvordan elevenes samtaler ser ut i et utforskende klasserom. Det ene rammeverket ble benyttet for å se på elevenes begrepsbruk i klasserommet, mens det andre rammeverket ble benyttet for å se på samtalenes karakteristika, der det skilles mellom produktive og uproduktive samtale.
Resultatet av analysen viste et stort mangfold av måter elever bruker fagbegrep på under samtalene der det rangerer ingen fagbegreper i samtalene fram til aktiv begrepsbruk som kan tyder på utvikling av begrepsforståelse. Det er også bitt observert en stor variasjon med tanke på hvordan samtalene så ut naturfagsklasserommet.ABSTRACT
This master's project deals with a study to investigate multilingual students' participation in group conversations about scientific phenomena. The sample of the thesis is adults with minority language backgrounds who are taking primary and lower secondary education at an adult education center in Rogaland. The main research question of the project is as follows: How do multilingual students interact in group conversations and how do they use subject concepts in science in these conversations?
To investigate this, I have prepared two research questions answered in the thesis: How do multilingual students use science concepts in these conversations? What characterizes group discussions on science topics in classrooms with multilingual students?
To answer the research question, I have conducted a qualitative study. The data consists of audio recordings from the students' group conversations. Here, the dialogue between three groups of students has been observed. The methodological approach builds on two existing frameworks that have been used to gain insight into what students' conversations look like in an exploratory classroom. One framework was used to look at the students' use of concepts in the classroom, while the other framework was used to look at the characteristics of the conversations, where a distinction is made between productive and unproductive conversations.
The result of the analysis showed a great diversity of ways in which pupils use subject terms during the conversations, where there are no subject terms in the conversations that rank as active terminology that may indicate the development of conceptual understanding. A large variation has also been observed in terms of how the conversations looked in the science classroom
Carnivore guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources in boreal forest
Get PDFScavenging is an alternative foraging strategy to predation for many carnivore species, as they shift between predation and scavenging in response to changes in resource availability. The use of carrion may lead to interspecific competition and is thus influenced by a risk–reward trade-off to balance coexistence with guild-members, where smaller species are expected to be more vigilant due to their vulnerability to larger competitors. We used cameras to investigate the utilization of viscera from the annual moose Alces alces hunt by four sympatric carnivore species: wolf Canis lupus, wolverine Gulo gulo, red fox Vulpes vulpes and pine marten Martes martes in south–central Scandinavia, in relation to body size and habitat. Red foxes had highest probability of visiting viscera sites in both open and forested habitats. Visits by both red foxes and pine martens were longer in open habitats, while number of visits or activity did not differ between habitats. For pine martens, the probability of visiting viscera sites was twice as high in forest compared to open habitat; consequently, red foxes showed the highest overall use of viscera. Red foxes were most vigilant, especially in open habitat, whereas wolverines and pine martens spent a higher proportion of time feeding. Increased vigilance of red foxes facilitates extended resources use in open habitat, while for pine martens, the risk–reward decision occurs before leaving forest cover and entering open habitats. Viscera were not used to a large extent by wolves or wolverines. Wolves are generally less prone to scavenging and wolverines probably use other food resources, more suitable for caching. Overall, competition did not prevent use of viscera, probably due to small-scale temporal segregation and limited use by the larger carnivores. Consequently, this pulse of human-subsidized food resources before winter may have important implications for the smaller facultative scavengers.publishedVersio
A tool for assessing sexual knowledge of people with Intellectual disabilities in Norway
Get PDFBackground: Previous research has shown that people with intellectual disabilities have limited sexual knowledge, which can be essential for developing positive sexuality. This study aimed to check the validity and reliability of an assessment tool (SexKunn) for measuring the sexual knowledge of people with intellectual disabilities in Norway. Further, we aimed to identify potential knowledge gaps among the participants and highlight their potential impact Methods: 37 people with intellectual disabilities completed one assessment. 20 participants then completed a retest. Clinicians’ (n=23) views on the assessment tool were measured to obtain face validity. Positive and negative agreement analysis was used to identify potential dimensions in the data. Results: A weighted Cohen’s kappa for the test and retest of the overall scores was considered to be substantial. The clinicians described an acceptable face validity regarding high positive value scores and low negative burden scores. They also suggested improvements. The study identified that the participants lacked knowledge about female genitals, hygiene, appropriate touching/sexual acts with friends/intimate partners, and contraception. Conclusions: The SexKunn is a feasible assessment tool to measure sexual knowledge in people with intellectual disabilities. A lack of sexual knowledge of people with intellectual disabilities may violate their sexual rights.publishedVersio
Listening to young people’s voices: Attempts at developing context- and participant-sensitive approaches
Get PDFThis article explores the methodological impact of sharpening researchers’ listening skills as part of the development of more context- and participant-sensitive approaches to research. The starting point is an analysis of structured app interviews with young people at a multicultural festival. Through the research process, we became increasingly aware of forms of communication we were prone to overlook, such as the here-and-now engagement of the participants, their carnivalesque expressions and associative and fragmented narration. Listening more openly required a reflexive extension of the data analysis and gave us unexpected glimpses into the life world and identity formation of young people.publishedVersio