Axon morphology of rapid Golgistained pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia

Aim To analyze axon morphology on rapid Golgi impregnated pyramidal neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. Methods Postmortem brain tissue from five subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia and five control subjects without neuropathological findings was processed with the rapid Golgi method. Layer III and layer V pyramidal neurons from Brodmann area 9 were chosen in each brain for reconstruction with Neurolucida software. The axons and cell bodies of 136 neurons from subjects with schizophrenia and of 165 neurons from control subjects were traced. The data obtained by quantitative analysis were compared between the schizophrenia and control group with the t test. Results Axon impregnation length was consistently greater in the schizophrenia group. The axon main trunk length was significantly greater in the schizophrenia than in the control group (93.7±36.6 μm vs 49.8±9.9 μm, P=0.032). Furthermore, in the schizophrenia group more axons had visibly stained collaterals (14.7% vs 5.5%). Conclusion Axon rapid Golgi impregnation stops at the beginning of the myelin sheath. The increased axonal staining in the schizophrenia group could, therefore, be explained by reduced axon myelination. Such a decrease in axon myelination is in line with both the disconnection hypothesis and the two-hit model of schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disease. Our results support that the cortical circuitry disorganization in schizophrenia might be caused by functional alterations of two major classes of principal neurons due to altered oligodendrocyte development

Axon morphology of rapid Golgistained pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia

Aim To analyze axon morphology on rapid Golgi impregnated pyramidal neurons in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. Methods Postmortem brain tissue from five subjects diagnosed with schizophrenia and five control subjects without neuropathological findings was processed with the rapid Golgi method. Layer III and layer V pyramidal neurons from Brodmann area 9 were chosen in each brain for reconstruction with Neurolucida software. The axons and cell bodies of 136 neurons from subjects with schizophrenia and of 165 neurons from control subjects were traced. The data obtained by quantitative analysis were compared between the schizophrenia and control group with the t test. Results Axon impregnation length was consistently greater in the schizophrenia group. The axon main trunk length was significantly greater in the schizophrenia than in the control group (93.7±36.6 μm vs 49.8±9.9 μm, P=0.032). Furthermore, in the schizophrenia group more axons had visibly stained collaterals (14.7% vs 5.5%). Conclusion Axon rapid Golgi impregnation stops at the beginning of the myelin sheath. The increased axonal staining in the schizophrenia group could, therefore, be explained by reduced axon myelination. Such a decrease in axon myelination is in line with both the disconnection hypothesis and the two-hit model of schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disease. Our results support that the cortical circuitry disorganization in schizophrenia might be caused by functional alterations of two major classes of principal neurons due to altered oligodendrocyte development

Age Estimation in Forensic Examination of Child Pornography

Procjena dobi kod vještačenja dječje pornografije Sažetak Dječja pornografija kao pojava u društvu prisutna je od antičkih vremena, ali se razvojem računalne tehnologije i zahvaljujući sve većoj dostupnosti interneta njena fenomenologija promijenila što je uzrokovalo drastičan porast njene dostupnosti ali i kaznenih djela koja se čine u vezi s dječjom pornografijom. Međunarodnim i zakonodavnim naporima dječja pornografija definirana je te se provode različite mjere s ciljem prevencije i suzbijanja ove pojave te sankcioniranja počinitelja. U sudskim postupcima vezanim uz dječju pornografiju važnu ulogu imaju sudski vještaci koji radi zakonskih propisa trebaju procijeniti dob osoba prikazanih u spornim materijalima. U ovome radu opisana je bitna terminologija, relevantni međunarodni dokumenti i nacionalno zakonodavstvo, dostupni statistički podaci, trenutačno korištena metoda vještačenja pornografskog materijala kao i put prema novoj metodi vještačenja procjene dobi korištenjem mjera ljudskih lica, temeljenoj na fotoantropometriji. Na kraju rada opisane su smjernice za buduća istraživanja iz ovog područja pomoću kojih bi se nova metoda vještačenja mogla dalje razvijati i potencijalno rabiti u svrhe vještačenja.Child pornography as a social phenomenon has been present since Antiquity. With the development of computer technology and the increasing availability of the Internet, its phenomenology has changed, resulting in a drastic increase in its availability as well as criminal offenses related to child pornography. The international and legislative efforts were undertaken to define child pornography and various measures are being implemented to prevent and eradicate this phenomenon as well as to sanction the perpetrators. In court proceedings related to child pornography, witness experts have an important role of assessing the age of the persons depicted in the pornographic materials. This paper describes essential terminology, relevant international documents and national legislation, available statistical data, the age estimation method currently used in court proceedings, and the process of development of the new method of age estimation based on photo anthropometry. This paper also recommends guidelines for future researches that would further develop this method and potentially make it applicable in court proceedings

STRATEGIJA TURISTIČKOG RAZVOJA MJESTA GREBAŠTICA

Da bi uspješno osmislili i napisali jednu strategiju razvoja određenog turističkog mjesta bitno je razumjeti smjernice razvoja turizma danas i ogledati se na primjeru drugih turističkih mjesta. turističko tržište je jako otvoreno novim idejama i upravo su one te koje privlače najviše gostiju u određenu destinaciju. Slikovito se to može prikazati u primjerima vrlo malih, ali opet jako uspješnih turističkih mjestašaca koja su svom potencijalnom turistu uspjela „prodati sve svoje mane kao prednosti“. Grebaštica je mjesto u kojem se može ostvariti veliki turistički potencijal u nekoliko različitih smjerova počevši od ljetovališnog turizma, preko seoskog, ekološkog, raznih oblika sportskog turizma, do turizma u pred i posezoni. Taj turistički potencijal, između ostalog , leži u bogatoj povijesti mjesta, u autentičnoj slikovitosti i ljepoti, u tradiciji i bogatstvu ekološke proizvodnje. Tema ovoga rada jest objedinjavanje svih prednosti, mogućnosti, potencijala u jednu strategiju razvoja turizma koja će pridonijeti turističkoj prepoznatljivosti mjesta i omogućiti mu bolji turistički plasman od onog kojeg je do sada imao.To successfully designed and write a strategy of the development of a particular tourist resort, it is important to understand the guidelines of the development of tourism today and reflected on the example of other tourist spots. Tourism market is very open to new ideas, and it is they who attract the most visitors to a specific destination. Figuratively it can be displayed in the examples of a very small, but again very successful tourist villages which are all potential tourists managed to "sell all its disadvantages as advantages". Grebastica is a place which can achieve a great tourist potential in several different directions starting from the summer holiday tourism, through the rural, ecological, various forms of sport tourism to tourism in the off season. This tourist potential, among others, lies in the rich history of the place, in an authentic and picturesque beauty, tradition and richness of organic farming. The theme of this work is the unification of all the benefits, capabilities, potential in a strategy of tourism development that will contribute to the tourism recognizable of this place and allow it a better placement than that which has so far had

Age Estimation in Forensic Examination of Child Pornography

Procjena dobi kod vještačenja dječje pornografije Sažetak Dječja pornografija kao pojava u društvu prisutna je od antičkih vremena, ali se razvojem računalne tehnologije i zahvaljujući sve većoj dostupnosti interneta njena fenomenologija promijenila što je uzrokovalo drastičan porast njene dostupnosti ali i kaznenih djela koja se čine u vezi s dječjom pornografijom. Međunarodnim i zakonodavnim naporima dječja pornografija definirana je te se provode različite mjere s ciljem prevencije i suzbijanja ove pojave te sankcioniranja počinitelja. U sudskim postupcima vezanim uz dječju pornografiju važnu ulogu imaju sudski vještaci koji radi zakonskih propisa trebaju procijeniti dob osoba prikazanih u spornim materijalima. U ovome radu opisana je bitna terminologija, relevantni međunarodni dokumenti i nacionalno zakonodavstvo, dostupni statistički podaci, trenutačno korištena metoda vještačenja pornografskog materijala kao i put prema novoj metodi vještačenja procjene dobi korištenjem mjera ljudskih lica, temeljenoj na fotoantropometriji. Na kraju rada opisane su smjernice za buduća istraživanja iz ovog područja pomoću kojih bi se nova metoda vještačenja mogla dalje razvijati i potencijalno rabiti u svrhe vještačenja.Child pornography as a social phenomenon has been present since Antiquity. With the development of computer technology and the increasing availability of the Internet, its phenomenology has changed, resulting in a drastic increase in its availability as well as criminal offenses related to child pornography. The international and legislative efforts were undertaken to define child pornography and various measures are being implemented to prevent and eradicate this phenomenon as well as to sanction the perpetrators. In court proceedings related to child pornography, witness experts have an important role of assessing the age of the persons depicted in the pornographic materials. This paper describes essential terminology, relevant international documents and national legislation, available statistical data, the age estimation method currently used in court proceedings, and the process of development of the new method of age estimation based on photo anthropometry. This paper also recommends guidelines for future researches that would further develop this method and potentially make it applicable in court proceedings

ChatGPT-3.5 as writing assistance in students’ essays

Abstract ChatGPT-3.5, an AI language model capable of text generation, translation, summarization, and question-answering, has recently been released for public use. Studies have shown it can generate abstracts, research papers, and dissertations, and create quality essays on different topics. This led to ethical issues in using ChatGPT in academic writing, AI authorship, and evaluating students’ essays. However, it is still unknown how ChatGPT performs in students’ environments as a writing assistant tool and if it enhances students’ essay-writing performance. In the present study, we examined students’ essay-writing performances with or without ChatGPT as an essay-writing assistance tool. The average essay grade was C for both control (traditional essay-writing, n = 9) and experimental (ChatGPT-assisted essay-writing, n = 9) groups. None of the predictors affected essay scores: group, writing duration, study module, and GPA. The text unauthenticity was slightly higher in the experimental group, but the similarity among essays was generally low in the overall sample. In the experimental group, the AI classifier recognized more potential AI-generated texts. Our results demonstrate that the ChatGPT group did not perform better in either of the indicators; the students did not deliver higher quality content, did not write faster, nor had a higher degree of authentic text. We anticipate that these results can relieve some concerns about this tool’s usage in academic writing. ChatGPT-assisted writing could depend on the previous knowledge and skills of the user, which might, in certain instances, lead to confusion in inexperienced users and result in poorer essay writing performance

Cortical interneurons in schizophrenia – cause or effect?

GABAergic cortical interneurons are important components of cortical microcircuits. Their alterations are associated with a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, and are thought to be especially important in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Here, we reviewed neuroanatomical and histological studies that analyzed different populations of cortical interneurons in postmortem human tissue from patients with schizophrenia and adequately matched controls. The data strongly suggests that in schizophrenia only selective interneuron populations are affected, with alterations of somatostatin and parvalbumin neurons being the most convincing. The most prominent changes are found in the prefrontal cortex, which is consistent with the impairment of higher cognitive functions characteristic of schizophrenia. In contrast, calretinin neurons, the most numerous interneuron population in primates, seem to be largely unaffected. The selective alterations of cortical interneurons are in line with the neurodevelopmental model and the multiple-hit hypothesis of schizophrenia. Nevertheless, a large number of data on interneurons in schizophrenia is still inconclusive, with different studies yielding opposing findings. Furthermore, no studies found a clear link between interneuron alterations and clinical outcomes. Future research should focus on the causes of changes in the cortical microcircuitry in order to identify potential therapeutic targets

Acoso escolar y convivencia en las aulas : manual de prevención e intervención

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónSe presenta información sobre el fenómeno del acoso escolar y se proponen herramientas para su prevención, detección e intervención. Se recogen las motivaciones que llevan a actuar de una forma concreta tanto al acosador, como al acosado y al observador. Se muestran las actitudes erróneas de los padres y profesores y se proporciona información de investigaciones sobre este tema. Se proporcionan una serie de programas didácticos que sirven para trabajar la prevención en el aula y en la escuela, así como detectar y tratar los posibles casos que surjan. De esta forma los padres y profesores que traten con hijos y alumnos implicados, desde cualquier perspectiva, en un incidente de acoso escolar, pueden seguir una serie de pautas y recomendaciones para solucionarlo.AndalucíaBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín 5 -3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

In the eye of the beholder – how course delivery affects anatomy education

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused major shifts in students' learning strategies as well as teaching environments that profoundly affected the delivery of anatomy courses in medical schools. The Department of Anatomy at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine had a unique experience where the anatomy course in 2019/2020 was first taught in-person before transferring to an online course delivery, while the inverse happened in 2020/2021. The core curriculum, course material and examination criteria were the same in both academic years. The aim of the study was to determine whether course delivery affected students' perceptions of the course and whether it impacted students' engagement and success. Methods: The students' perceptions of the course were assessed via an anonymous course survey (student evaluation of teaching, SET). The questions in the SET assessed the usefulness of teaching modalities rather than students' satisfaction. Most questions were in the form of statements to which students responded with their level of agreement on a five-point Likert scale. Differences between responses in 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. Effect size was estimated using Cliff's delta and association between responses was assessed using Spearman's r coefficient. Results: Students' perceptions were significantly affected by changes in course delivery. Students' success and engagement were higher in 2019/2020 when in-person teaching preceded online teaching. Furthermore, students' views on course organization and the usefulness of continuous assessment were more positive in 2019/2020. Finally, students' perceptions of the usefulness of online materials and activities were more positive in 2019/2020. All comparisons between the two academic years were statistically significant (P ≤ 0.0001 for all comparisons, Mann-Whitney test). Conclusions: Students' perceptions of the anatomy course were dependent on the teaching environment they were exposed to at the beginning of the course. A transfer from in-person to online course delivery was more successful than vice-versa. This has important implications for structuring hybrid courses in medical education in the future