Search

In the context of landscape, both the natural environment and the built environment can be linked with human health and well-being. This connection has been studied among adults, but no research has been conducted on young people. To fill this gap, this case study aimed to elucidate students’ views on landscapes worth conserving and the landscapes that affect and support their well-being. The participants (n = 538) were Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish students from grades 3–6. The students drew the landscapes they wanted to conserve. The drawn landscapes and the welfare-supporting features they contained were analysed using inductive and abductive content analyses. The students from all three countries preferred water, forest and yard landscapes. In the drawings of natural landscapes, the most recurring themes were sunrise or sunset, forest, beach and mountain landscapes. Physical well-being was manifested in the opportunity to jog and walk. Social well-being was reflected in the presence of friends, relatives and animals. Therapeutically important well-being-related spaces—the so-called green (natural areas), blue (aquatic environments) and white (e.g., snow) areas—were also depicted in the participants’ drawings. It can be concluded that the drawn landscapes reflect several values that promote students’ well-being.

In the context of landscape, both the natural environment and the built environment can be linked with human health and well-being. This connection has been studied among adults, but no research has been conducted on young people. To fill this gap, this case study aimed to elucidate students’ views on landscapes worth conserving and the landscapes that affect and support their well-being. The participants (n = 538) were Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish students from grades 3–6. The students drew the landscapes they wanted to conserve. The drawn landscapes and the welfare-supporting features they contained were analysed using inductive and abductive content analyses. The students from all three countries preferred water, forest and yard landscapes. In the drawings of natural landscapes, the most recurring themes were sunrise or sunset, forest, beach and mountain landscapes. Physical well-being was manifested in the opportunity to jog and walk. Social well-being was reflected in the presence of friends, relatives and animals. Therapeutically important well-being-related spaces—the so-called green (natural areas), blue (aquatic environments) and white (e.g., snow) areas—were also depicted in the participants’ drawings. It can be concluded that the drawn landscapes reflect several values that promote students’ well-being.

This study belongs to assessment-related research and aimed to investigate Finnish high-school students’ (n = 211) topic-specific epistemic beliefs about climate change and whether the Norwegian topic-specific epistemic beliefs questionnaire (TSEBQ) was also valid among Finnish respondents. Thus, research data were not only derived from the TSEBQ but also from topic knowledge tests and students’ views on their favorite school subjects and interest in science subjects. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the statistical model, originally based on 49 questions, was congruent with the Norwegian four-factor model (Certification, Source, Justification and Simplicity). However, according to the reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the performance of the Simplicity factor was unclear. In CFA, the three-factor structure (without Simplicity) was supported. The effects of topic knowledge, topic interest and gender on the TSEBQ factors were examined by using hierarchical regression analysis (HRA). The TSEBQ was shown to be a reliable tool for measuring the topic-specific epistemic beliefs of Finnish students. More specifically, the results support the claim that topic-specific epistemic beliefs can be educationally and culturally bound. HRA showed that students’ topic knowledge in chemistry and biology was related to certainty of knowledge and justification for knowing. Moreover, female students performed significantly better in topic knowledge and more often planned to pursue a science career in the future.

School culture includes values, principles, and criteria. It is an integral part of sustainability education, of which climate change education (CCE) is seen as a way to improve students’ ability to take action to mitigate climate change. This survey aimed to investigate Finnish student teachers’ views of factors important in implementing CCE in school culture and their abilities as teachers to promote CCE. Thirty-six student teachers wrote essays regarding the implementation of school culture and responded to a questionnaire concerning their ability to act as climate change (CC) educators and the challenges they identified in teaching and learning about it. Inductive content analysis was used to study the essays. In student teachers’ answers, six themes to implement in school culture were identified: elements, work community, teacher’s impact, students in the centre, actors outside the school, and challenges. The student teachers highlighted challenges, such as views that deny CC and challenge the transformation of school culture to support sustainable development. The suggested ways to support CCE in daily school life that were very concrete, such as recycling and food education. Student teachers found their own ability to act as climate educators to be relatively good. They identified challenges, especially in motivating students to learn about CC and to participate and take action towards a climate-friendly lifestyle. Students’ conflicting attitudes, values, and beliefs related to CC, reinforced by their inner circle, were seen as challenges in teaching and learning about CC. Despite these challenges, transforming a school culture to support CCE should be the goal of every school.

Tässä kvalitatiivisessa tutkimuksessa selvitettiin biologian ja maantieteen opetuksessa käytettyjä ilmastonmuutosta koskevia opetusmenetelmiä ja niiden tukemista tiedon ja ajattelun tasoista. Tutkimuskysymyksiksi muodostuivat: 1) Mitä ilmastonmuutoksen oppimista edistäviä opetusmenetelmiä biologiassa ja maantieteessä käytetään? 2) Millaisia oppilaiden tiedon ja ajattelun tasoja ilmastonmuutoksen opetuksessa käytetyt opetusmenetelmät tukevat? Tutkimukseen valikoitui 14 kansainvälistä tieteellistä artikkelia (N=159). Valinnan kriteereinä olivat: oppisisältö, julkaisuvuodet 2000–2019 sekä kohderyhminä peruskoululaiset ja lukiolaiset. Lisäksi artikkelissa tuli olla ainakin yksi opetusmenetelmä. Opetusmenetelmät tutkittiin aineistolähtöisellä sisällönanalyysillä. Opetusmenetelmien tukemia tiedon ja ajattelun tasoja analysoitiin teoriaohjaavalla sisällönanalyysillä. Sekä biologiassa että maantieteessä yleisimpiä opetusmenetelmiä olivat tutkiva oppiminen, ongelmanratkaisu, ryhmätyöt ja opettajakeskeiset opetusmenetelmät. Maantieteessä käytettiin biologiaa monipuolisemmin erilaisia ilmastonmuutoksen opiskelua edistäviä opetusmenetelmiä. Opetusmenetelmät tukivat korkeampia tiedon ja ajattelun tasoja harvemmin kuin alempia. Osa käytetyistä opetusmenetelmistä mahdollistaa omien kokemusten jakamisen ja päättelyn ryhmässä, mikä tukee opiskelijoiden oman ajattelun ymmärtämistä ja kriittistä ajattelua. Teaching methods used in biology and geography concerning climate change education Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the teaching methods used in biology and geography concerning climate change education (CCE) and about their level of knowledge and thinking skills. The research questions were: (1) What kind of teaching methods were used in biology and geography to enhance CCE and (2) How do teaching methods support the levels of knowledge and thinking skills of students. This qualitative study focused on articles of biology and geography teaching and CC. Articles for the analyses were sourced from scientific databases using search terms e.g. CC, and teaching methods. All searches were based on the following criteria: international peer reviewed articles published 2000–2019; articles concerning teaching methods regarding CC; and the target group being 12-18-year-old students. 14 articles (N=159) filled the criteria. Teaching methods were analyzed by material-based content analysis and the levels of knowledge and thinking supported by the teaching methods by theory-guided content analysis. The levels of knowledge and thinking supported by these teaching methods were analyzed using theory-guided content analysis. Results show that both in biology and geography, enquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, group work and teacher-centred methods were used most often. In geography, the methods supporting CCE varied more than in biology teaching. The higher levels of the knowledge and thinking skills were supported more seldom than the lower ones. The results of this study are meant to be implicated in supporting teaching of the CC. Some of the teaching methods used allow for the sharing of individual’s own experiences and reasoning in the group, which in turn support students’ understanding of their own thinking and critical thinking and which are the key features in discussing problems such as climate change. Keywords: climate change, level of knowledge, level of thinking skills, teaching method

Understanding and learning geographic knowledge and applying it to sustainable development (SD) depends not only on the knowledge itself, but also on how it is taught and studied. The teaching and learning methods for promoting sustainability in geography have not been thoroughly studied. This qualitative study examined articles on geography teaching and SD. The material was selected using keywords related to geography education. The study describes 17 articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2008 to 2018. The focus group varied from primary to higher education. The proportion of teaching and learning methods were determined. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The foci of the analyses were the teaching and learning methods, topics, goals, and levels of thinking skills. Additionally, features of the teaching methods used in geography education, including outdoor education, to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) were investigated. Different teaching methods used together and interactive learning were the most often preferred. Group work and teachers&rsquo, presentations were mentioned in 12 articles, and inquiry-based learning and argumentation in half of the articles. The most often written expressions promoting SD in geography education concerned environmental sustainability (42%), followed by social (25%), economic (19%), and cultural sustainability (14%). The most emphasized features of the current teaching methods were active participation, thinking skills, animation, evaluation, dialog, demonstrations, and information and communication technology skills. The whole school approach and forward-looking perspective in geography should be implemented in school education to reach the SDGs and to support SD.

People’s knowledge about nature, their interest in nature, their nature experiences, and their values and emotions regarding nature are factors that promote people’s positive views on envir...

Children explore their environment through experiences and each experience is meaningful in developing their environmental consciousness and identity. On the basis of the drawn landscape experiences, the present qualitative study set out to find out what landscapes the participating students deemed worth conserving. The data consisted of the drawings of 11- to 16-year-old Finnish (n = 311) and Swedish (n = 246) students. Deductive and inductive content analyses were used to analyse the data. The results showed that all three landscape types, nature, built, and social were presented in the drawings. Nature and built landscapes were the most frequent types, with the proportion of nature landscapes increasing and that of built landscapes decreasing with age. There were gender and cultural preferences: boys drew built landscapes more often than girls, and Finnish students drew summer cottages, a cultural phenomenon typical of Finnish landscapes, which was not found in Swedish drawings. Similarities in Finnish and Swedish data were identified e.g., in forest and water and &ldquo, cultural landscapes&rdquo, Some of the students displayed a more distant, observing role, whereas others adopted an active one in relation to all three landscape types. The results are discussed in connection to the landscape theories and earlier findings of the drawn environments.

Teachers need knowledge of species and species identification skills for teaching the structure and function of ecosystems, and the principles of biodiversity and its role in sustainability. The aim of this study is to analyze Nordic student teachers&rsquo, views on the most efficient methods and strategies to teach and learn species and species identification, and to find some trends about how well their views are reflected in a species identification test. Student teachers in Finland, Norway, and Sweden (N = 426) answered a questionnaire consisting of fixed and open-ended questions, and a species identification test. An analysis of variance, Chi-Square, and t-test were used for quantitative data and an inductive content analysis for qualitative data. Results showed that outdoor teaching and learning methods are more efficient than indoor methods. The majority of student teachers considered outdoor experiential learning with living organisms as the most efficient teaching and learning method. Student teachers who highlighted outdoor experiential learning and outdoor project work as their most efficient methods received significantly better results in the species identification test than the others. Field trips and fieldwork were emphasized as the most important sources in schools and universities, while the Internet was the most important source among media. The student teachers underlined teachers&rsquo, expertise in the form of in-depth understanding of subjects and supervising skills for efficient teaching both outdoors and indoors. Therefore, teaching and learning of species and species identification as the practical part of biodiversity and sustainability education is emphasized as an integral part of teacher education programs.

This study aims to find higher education students’ perceptions about environmental issues and how the perceptions are related to perceptions of media coverage. This study investigates higher education students’ perceptions of the seriousness of environmental issues and their relation to perceptions of media coverage. Higher education students perceived a global problem, lack of clean water, as most serious environmental problem. Media has had an effect on students’ perceptions on environmental issues: when students perceived the problem as serious they also perceived the information in media concerning it appropriate. Students perceived that the media underestimate and obscure some environmental problems such as biological diversity and global warming. It was concluded that higher education educators need more knowledge of students’, future decision makers’ concerns and perceptions about environmental issues to develop more effective teaching practices in higher education. Through education environmental issues literacy, which is a precursor for engaged protection of the environment, can be fostered. This study offers some insights into higher education students’ perceptions of the media’s role in environmental issues.

Knowledge of species, interest in nature, and nature experiences are the factors that best promote interest in and understanding of environmental issues, biodiversity and sustainable life. The aim of this study is to investigate how well student teachers identify common local species, their interest in and ideas about species identification, and their perceptions of the importance of species identification and biodiversity for sustainable development. Totally 456 student teachers for primary schools were tested using an identification test and a questionnaire consisting of fixed and open questions. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to get a more holistic view of students’ level of knowledge and their preferred learning methods. The student teachers’ ability to identify very common species was low, and only 3 % were able to identify most of the tested species. Experiential learning outdoors was suggested by the majority of students as the most efficient learning method, followed by experiential learning indoors, project work and experimental learning. They looked upon the identification of plants and animals as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ for citizens today and for sustainable development. Likewise, they looked upon biodiversity as ‘important’ or ‘very important’ for sustainable development. Our conclusion is that teaching and learning methods for identification and knowledge of species and for education of biodiversity and sustainable development should always include experiential and project-based methods in authentic environments.

CEPS Journal 7 (2017) 1, S. 29-47, This study investigates how well prepared student teachers are to implement species identification in school. Data were collected with the help of a questionnaire and a PowerPoint presentation in which local plant and animal species were presented. Participants (n = 357) correctly identified, on average, 23% of the plants and 44% of the animals. They identified plants mainly by flower characteristics and leaves, and animals mainly by shape and colour. Family and school were key sources of participants’ knowledge of species. The self-estimated competence of participants to identify species was positively correlated with their taxonomic knowledge and the amount of time they had spent on species identification during their own schooldays. The number of correctly identified plant and animal species increased with interest in identifying species and participation in species identification courses. Participants considered learner-centred education and experience-based learning, and the use of living organisms to be most important when identifying species in school. (DIPF/Orig.)

In this survey Finnish lower and upper secondary education students´ and student teachers´ (n=514) knowledge of the animal names (species) in relation to ecosystems was studied using a questionnaire. The results were interpreted with regard to the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Nordic fen, spruce-dominated coniferous forest, tropical rainforest, and savannah were studied. The respondents were aware of animals living in the four ecosystems, especially of mammals and birds. The animals of the indigenous Nordic fen were the least known, as evidenced by the low average number of the names and the highest number of falsely named animals. Furthermore, the animals of the savannah were the best known by the students in lower and upper secondary education, while the animals of the spruce-dominated coniferous forest were best known by student teachers. The invertebrates were nearly forgotten from all ecosystems, although they are an essential part of biodiversity and food chain/web. Research results show that students’ knowledge of the animals in relation to their autecological matters should be improved in all information sources provided. Key words: animals, biodiversity, ecosystem, Finnish students in lower and upper secondary education, Finnish student teachers

Individual in-depth, semi-structured interviews with three mathematics teachers were conducted to investigate the dynamics of their life-long relationships with mathematics, synthesised as mathematical identity from different identity positions in the context of dialogical self. The qualitative data were scrutinised employing interpretive phenomenological analysis that displayed mostly positive instrumental relationships with mathematics and explicit connections between the teachersí life experiences and their disctinct identity voices that surfaced in interviews. Similarly, teachers appeared to be experts in different professional spheres: pedagogy, subject or didactics. The teachersí accounts contain various models of relationships between the other-motive and the self-motive as reflected in their pedagogical approaches. Emergent patterns resulting from the interaction of the teachersí mathematical identity and their perception of studentsí mathematical philia/phobia included the humanistic approach with an instrumental interpretation of mathematics and its teaching methods, self-actualisation in achieving success in mathematics through hard work and the issue of attribution of failure in mathematics either to external or internal factors. Moreover, these dialogical models and interactive patterns show alignement with one of the core competences for educators in education for sustainable development, that is, achieving transformation in what it means to be an educator, in teaching and learning, as well as in the entire education system. Practical implementation of findings and limitations of the study are outlined along with venues for future research.

There are very few studies concerning the importance of teaching methods in biology education and environmental education including outdoor education for promoting sustainability at the levels of primary and secondary schools and pre-service teacher education. The material was selected using special keywords from biology and sustainable education in several scientific databases. The article provides an overview of 24 selected articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2006–2016. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Altogether, 16 journals were selected and 24 articles were analyzed in detail. The foci of the analyses were teaching methods, learning environments, knowledge and thinking skills, psychomotor skills, emotions and attitudes, and evaluation methods. Additionally, features of good methods were investigated and their implications for teaching were emphasized. In total, 22 different teaching methods were found to improve sustainability education in different ways. The most emphasized teaching methods were those in which students worked in groups and participated actively in learning processes. Research points toward the value of teaching methods that provide a good introduction and supportive guidelines and include active participation and interactivity.

Students’ and student teachers’ decreasing interest in and knowledge of science are, according to many national and international assessments, alarming trends in the Nordic countries. This quantitative and qualitative study of student teachers’ knowledge of core concepts and processes in ecology confirms the low level of student teachers’ understanding of these issues, although a majority consider these issues to be basic knowledge for their teacher competencies. Many of the student teachers did not know what biosphere or succession is. They also had difficulties in explaining what a seed contains and what its role is in the plant’s lifecycle. Several student teachers also had difficulties to explain why photosynthesis is important and how it works. The increasing ecological and environmental illiteracy is discussed as one of the implications for teacher education.

This chapter highlights the main characteristics of the humanities, or school subjects having a humanistic orientation, from the point of view of geography, history and social studies in comprehensive schools.

The main source for indoor birch pollen (BP) allergens is outdoor particles, which are carried indoors mainly by people or pets and less likely via open windows and doors. So far, BP allergens have been shown by ELISA in the indoor air or in the settled dust, but these techniques have not enabled a reliable analysis of the respirable-sized fraction of air particles allergic subjects are exposed to. The aims of this study were to measure the airborne personal BP allergen exposure indoors and outdoors, to study the particle size of inhaled BP allergens and to analyse the allergen concentration of settled dust in relation to personal airborne allergen load. The air samples were collected before, during and after the BP season using a nasal air sampler, and the samples of settled dust were collected by a vacuum cleaner with a special collection device. BP allergens collected by nasal samplers were detected by the HALOgen immunoassay using birch pollen specific human IgE and rabbit IgG antibodies to BP, and the results were compared to IgG-ELISA used for detecting BP allergens in indoor settled dust and outdoor air. The highest concentrations of BP antigenic activity in settled dust were in the entrance corridor (next to the main front door) decreasing substantially from outdoors to indoors. Significant personal exposure to the airborne particles containing BP allergens outdoors was shown by the HALOgen immunostaining, before, during and after the BP season. During the BP season, the large, outdoor airborne particles carrying BP allergens were composed mainly of the pollen grains (75%). However, outside the pollen season, only a few large particles with stained (allergen) halos were found, and only 50% of those were pollen grains. In the indoor air, stained large and small particles appeared mainly during the pollen season and remained detectable until the end of the 6-week follow-up period. The results of the indoor settled dust BP antigenic activity detected by IgG-ELISA showed a good correlation with those of the HALOgen immunostaining. Human IgE detected BP grains with halos containing BP allergens from indoor air during the pollen season but none after the season. Higher sensitivity of the HALOgen™ assay was obtained using rabbit IgG antiserum, which revealed both small (5–20 μm) and large (>20 μm) particles with halos both before, during, and outside the peak BP season. Therefore, it is unlikely that the birch allergy symptoms indoors, after the pollen season, would be due to intact airborne pollen grains, but rather are due to other small particles carrying airborne BP allergens. A probable source of these particles is settled dust, which has been carried indoors by people or pets.

During recent decades, the use of high-resolution light detection and ranging altimetry (LiDAR) data in fluvial studies has rapidly increased. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) can be used to extensively map riverine topography. Although airborne blue/green LiDAR can also be utilized for the mapping of river bathymetry, the accuracy levels achieved are not as good as those of terrain elevation measurements. Moreover, airborne bathymetric LiDAR is not yet suitable for mapping shallow water areas. More detailed topographical data may be obtained by fixed-position terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) or mobile terrestrial laser scanning (MLS). One of the newest applications of MLS approaches involves a boat/cart-based mobile mapping system (BoMMS/CartMMS). This set-up includes laser scanning and imaging from a boat moving along a river course and may be used to expand the spatial extent of terrestrial scanning. Detailed digital terrain models (DTMs) derived from LiDAR data can be used to improve the recognition of fluvial landforms, the geometric data of hydraulic modelling, and the estimation of flood inundation extents and fluvial processes.

The aim of this qualitative survey was to investigate what kind of teaching methods have been used in biology to promote biodiversity education (BDE) and how the methods support biodiversity (BD) learning. We found, in total, 317 international scientific articles published since 2000 which described the teaching methods regarding BDE and the teaching, and/or the learning. From these ones 12 articles specifically addressed the teaching methods of BD. The content of these articles was analysed in detail. The detailed analysis was based on (a) the categories of the teaching methods used, (b) the conception of learning in the Finnish National Core Curricula for Secondary schools and (c) the revised Bloom&rsquo, s taxonomy and Stanny&rsquo, s verbs concerning the levels of taxonomy. The most used teaching methods were hands-on instruction, experiential learning, and teacher presentation. The least used ones were games, roleplay, debates, service learning, study trips, and visits. In all the articles, various teaching methods used during the lessons were described. The items concerning the teaching methods, which supported students learning were active participation and interaction&mdash, mentioned in all the articles&mdash, followed by observation, experimental work, experiential learning, and techniques for increasing environmental awareness. The understanding of the different perspectives of BD and the development of self-evaluation were addressed in only four and two of the articles, respectively. The four types of knowledge were supported by the used teaching methods in nine articles jointly. The lower levels of thinking skills were well-supported by the used teaching methods. The highest level of thinking skills, such as synthesis and evaluation, received the least amount of attention.

In this 31-year retrospective study, we examined the influence of meteorology on airborne Betula spp. (birch) pollen concentrations in Turku, Finland. The seasonal incidence of airborne birch pollen in Turku occurred over a brief period each year during spring (April 30 - May 31). Mean peak concentrations were restricted to May (May 5 to 13). Statistically significant increases in the annual accumulated birch pollen sum and daily maximum values were observed over the study period. Birch pollen counts collected in April were retrospectively shown to increase over the duration of the study. Increases in April temperature values were also significantly associated with the earlier onset of the birch pollen season. Furthermore, the number of days where daily birch pollen concentrations exceeded 10 and 1,000 grains/m(3) also increased throughout the study period. These data demonstrate that increases in temperature, especially during months preceding the onset of the birch pollen season, favor preseason phenological development and pollen dispersal. Birch pollen derived from other geographical locations may also contribute to the aerospora of Turku, Finland. To date, the public health burden associated with personal exposure to elevated birch pollen loads remains unclear and is the focus of future epidemiological research.

Background The precise way in which allergen is handled by the nose is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine recovery of Der p 1 allergen following nasal administration and to determine whether Der p 1 can be detected in nasal biopsies after natural exposure and nasal challenge to allergen. Methods (1) 20 nonatopic non-rhinitics were challenged with Der p 1 and recovery was measured by ELISA in the nasal wash, nasal mucus and induced sputum up to 30 minutes. Particulate charcoal (

BackgroundAccurate diagnosis of allergy to specific fungal species is confounded by the variability in allergens occurring with different diagnostic systems. We compared the halogen immunoassay (HIA), which uses allergens expressed by freshly germinated spores that are bound to protein binding membranes (PBM), with the commercial Pharmacia UniCap® assay (CAP) and with skin prick tests (SPT).MethodsSerum from 60 subjects was used; 30 were SPT positive and sensitized to at least one of Alternaria alternata or Aspergillus fumigatus and the other 30 were SPT negative to these fungi but known to be sensitized to non-fungal allergens. All sera were analyzed by CAP against A. alternata, A. fumigatus, Cladosporium herbarum and Epicoccum purpurascens. For HIA, spores from reference cultures belonging to these four species were germinated on PBM, laminated and then probed with each serum. Two independent observers using an ordinal ranking system quantified the intensity and occurrence of the resultant immunoglobulin E (IgE) immunostained haloes around spores and this was statistically compared with the results of the two conventional immunodiagnostic techniques.ResultsGerminated conidia of each species expressed detectable allergen in the HIA. The agreement between the ordinal rank scores assigned by the pair of observers was very good (k ≥ 0.8) and only differed for A. fumigatus (k = 0.66). Between 3% and 7% of SPT negative sera was identified by HIA to have specific IgE towards A. fumigatus and A. alternata. For all four species tested there were strong correlations between HIA and CAP (P < 0.0001). However the correlation of both HIA and CAP to SPT was weaker for A. alternata (rs = 0.44, P < 0.0153) and absent for A. fumigatus.ConclusionsOverall, the HIA is a new immunodiagnostic technique for the detection of sensitization to fungal allergens that correlates significantly with CAP and to a lesser extent with SPT. This may be due to extract variability and system differences. The significance of this derives from the unique ability of the HIA to measure IgE antibodies to the undegraded allergens that are actively secreted by germinating conidia and hyphae. These are the natural agents of exposure to fungi, and as such, are most likely to be relevant to clinical disease.

The influence of meteorological parameters on airborne pollen of Australian native arboreal species was investigated in the sub-tropical city of Brisbane, Australia over the five-year period, June 1994–May 1999. Australian native arboreal pollen (ANAP), shed by taxa belonging to the families Cupressaceae, Casuarinaceae and Myrtaceae accounts for 18.4% of the total annual pollen count and is distributed in the atmosphere during the entire year with maximum loads restricted to the months May through November. Daily counts within the range 11–100 grains m–3 occurred over short intervals each year and were recorded on 100 days during the five-year sampling period. Total seasonal ANAP concentrations varied each year, with highest annual values measured for the family Cupressaceae, for which greater seasonal frequencies were shown to be related to pre-seasonal precipitation (r 2 = 0.76, p = 0.05). Seasonal start dates were near consistent for the Cupressaceae and Casuarinaceae. Myrtaceae start dates were variable and established to be directly related to lower average pre-seasonal maximum temperature (r 2 = 0.78, p = 0.04). Associations between daily ANAP loads and weather parameters showed that densities of airborne Cupressaceae and Casuarinaceae pollen were negatively correlated with maximum temperature (p < 0.0001), minimum temperature (p < 0.0001) and precipitation (p < 0.05), whereas associations with daily Myrtaceae pollen counts were not statistically significant. This is the first study to be conducted in Australia that has assessed the relationships between weather parameters and the airborne distribution of pollen emitted by Australian native arboreal species. Pollen shed by Australian native Cupressaceae, Casuarinaceae and Myrtaceae species are considered to be important aeroallergens overseas, however their significance as a sensitising source in Australia remains unclear and requires further investigation.

Relationships between weather parameters andairborne pollen loads of Pinus inBrisbane, Australia have been investigated overthe five-year period, June 1994–May 1999.Pinus pollen accounts for 4.5% of the annualairborne pollen load in Brisbane where thePinus season is confined to the winter months,July–early September. During the samplingperiod loads of 11–>100 grains m3 wererecorded on 24 days and 1–10 grains m3 on204 days. The onset and peak dates wereconsistent across each season, whereas the enddates varied. The onset of the Pinuspollen season coincided with the coolestaverage monthly temperatures (< 22°C),lowest rainfall (< 7mm), and four weeks afterdaily minimum temperatures fell to 5–9°Cin late autumn. Correlations obtained betweendaily airborne Pinus pollen counts andtemperature/rainfall parameters show thatdensities of airborne Pinus pollen arenegatively correlated with maximum temperature(p < 0.0001), minimum temperature (p < 0.0001)and rainfall (p < 0.05) during the mainpollination period. The mean duration of eachpollen season was 52 days; longer seasons wereshown to be directly related to lower averageseasonal maximum temperatures (r2 = 0.85,p = 0.025). These results signify that maximumand minimum temperatures are the majorparameters that influence the onset andduration of the Pinus pollen season inthe environs of Brisbane. Respiratory allergyis an important health issue in Brisbane,Australia, but it remains unknown whether ornot airborne Pinus pollen is acontributing factor.

Pollen of birch (Betula) and grass (Poaceae) are the main cause of seasonal allergy in northern European countries. Allergic symptoms may also occur outside the local pollen season. From the point of view of allergic sufferers, it is important to know how long pollen retains its sensitising power. The maintenance of antigenic activity under different experimental conditions was studied over a period of one year. Pollen of birch (Betula pendula Roth., B. pubescens Ehrh.) and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) grass was collected in the summer of 1995 in south‐western Finland. Pollen samples were incubated in petri dishes in separate desiccators, at 20°C at relative humidities of 23%, 33%, 43%, and 54%, which coincides with typical values in Finnish homes. Control pollen samples were stored under room conditions. The samples were analysed with igG‐ELISA (enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay) using monoclonal (specific to Bet ν 1) and polyclonal birch pollen antibodies and Phl p 5 antibody, with SDS‐PAGE (sodium dode...

Sensitive pollen-allergic patients have been reported to show allergic symptoms not only during the pollen release of allergenic plants but also both before and after the pollen season. Symptoms before the season are evidently provoked by small-sized particles originating partly from developing pollen grains, partly from other plant parts. After the pollen season, antigenic material settles on various surfaces, which thus form a new source of allergenic material. Measuring the allergen concentrations in indoor and outdoor environments demands an effective sampling method and a rapid and sensitive immunochemical analysis, especially for particles of small-sized fractions which are not detected in microscopic analyses. The efficiency of an ELISA and an immunochemical staining method was tested with monoclonal IgG against Phl p 5, the main grass allergen. The Burkard trap and MPC impactor (Marple personal cascade impactor with six-stage particle size fractionation) were compared. The sampling was carried out in southwestern Finland in the summer of 1994. The number of grass-pollen antigen spots greatly exceeded the simultaneous pollen count, indicating considerable antigen activity outside the pollen grains. The counts were especially high in small-sized fractions after the pollen season, when hardly any airborne pollen was found. Spots and pollen divided according to size were highly intercorrelated, indicating that the threshold values used were appropriate.

The concentration of grass‐pollen allergens in settled dust was measured over a period of 11 weeks in ten homes, five situated in an urban area and five in a rural area, in southwestern Finland during the summer of 1995. Dust samples were collected once a week, using a vacuum cleaner equipped with a special collection device (ALK, Copenhagen) and with a replaceable glass‐fiber filter in a filter dish. All dust samples were analyzed by means of an IgG‐ELISA‐procedure using murine monoclonal antibodies. The allergenic activity of grass pollen in settled indoor dust was low compared with that of birch pollen previously analyzed in the same area. Counts of airborne pollen used in comparison were obtained from the Burkard sampling station in Turku. The grass pollen season is not continuous in this area, but has sporadic relatively low peaks, because a variety of grass species flower at different times. Airborne grass pollen counts in Turku exceeded the threshold value of abundant (> 30 grains per cubic metre o...

This research was carried out in connection with “The Finnish-Russian Country School Project”. The aim is to compare Finnish and Russian pupils’ values in their drawings of the landscape (n=946) they want to conserve, and to pay attention to the animals they draw. The pupils were 7–15 years old. The landscapes were classified by the variables (country, age, sex), and analysed according to landscape type. The most prevailing landscape was nature (82%). The existence of animals was few in species; but there were more animals in the Russian drawings. The most frequently drawn groups were the“wave birds” and mammals. The Russians often presented the forest animals whereas the Finns drew the domestic species. With increasing age, the frequency of the animals decreased clearly in the Russian landscapes. A similar age distribution was not seen in the Finnish drawings. In conclusion, the animals were well placed in their ecological environment, indicating children’s good understanding of the natural habitat they were drawing.

Alarming trends in science in Nordic schools, indicating a diminishing interest among students, a lack of knowledge and competence among teachers as well as a decreasing amount of science in teacher education sparked this study of student teachers in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. This quantitative and qualitative study of teacher students’ views of human biology made it clear that human biology is seen as basic teacher knowledge by a majority of the students, in Finland in particular. The student teachers’ level of knowledge in human biology is very low. They have difficulties in explaining basic body functions, for example in relation to the human blood circulation system. They lack understanding of how various body organs work together, a fact that makes teaching and pupil guidance more difficult. Nordic teacher education should provide more time for diagnosing and developing student teachers’ critical and scientific thinking skills as well as problem-based science teaching. Validerad; 2011; 20111206 (johsod)