New localities of the subendemic species Berberis croatica, Teucrium arduini and Micromeria croatica in the Dinaric Alps

New localities of three subendemic species (Berberis croatica, Teucrium arduini and Micromeria croatica) have been found in the Dinaric Alps. Berberis croatica was found at ten new locations, nine of them in Croatia and one in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Teucrium arduini was found on Mt Učka, Mt Velebit, Mt Biokovo and Mt Sniježnica, at nine new locations while Micromeria croatica was found at four new locations, only on Mt Velebit

Manipulating the Hype: contemporary art's response to media cliches

Manipulating the Hype addresses art’s reaction to the barrage of signs produced by the media. The paper researches contemporary art’s response to clichéd media stereotypes and elucidates artists’ multifaceted perspective on overtly obvious yet widely embraced paradigms marketed by the media. Contemporary art’s strategic reconfiguration of media stereotypes is a valuable introspection upon the superficiality and impracticability of advertising and entertainment industry constructs. By reconsidering the mediated image, art has the ability to inspire reevaluation of cultural values. The thesis additionally attempts to ascertain the reinterpretation of media stereotypes as a common thread linking principal art movements and historically significant artworks from around the world since 1960. How does contemporary art respond to the extensive cultural influence of the media? Is a reaction to mass media a thematic commonality linking contemporary artists in the age of globalization? Manipulating the Hype is a dual outcome investigation comprised of written thesis and studio practice. The written thesis combines experience from a lengthy professional practice with historical and theoretical research. The visual thesis consists of twelve photographic works taken at on the Big Island of Hawaii. The images juxtapose artificial icons of power from popular culture with the natural force of the active lava flow. The process of research discloses how the advertising and entertainment industries capitalize upon innate human desires through the manipulative proliferation of archetypal imagery. Furthermore, the thesis establishes the widespread retort to media clichés as a palpable commonality in studio practices worldwide. The findings in the research make evident that although contemporary art does not have sufficient influence to reform the media, it can heighten public awareness of media tactics

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Fruit and seed traits of Berberis croatica Horvat and Berberis vulgaris L.

The three year variability of fruits and seeds was investigated in Berberis croatica (Vošac, Mt Biokovo, Rakov Potok near Zagreb) and in B. vulgaris (Fran Kušan Pharmaceutical Botanical Garden in Zagreb). Berberis croatica had the following dimensions of fruits (seeds): length 7.28–7.88 (4.57–5.03) mm; width 3.85–3.99 (width 1: 2.06–2.20; width 2: 1.44–1.63) mm; weight 0.065–0.078 (0.0116–0.0134) g. Dimensions of B. vulgaris fruits (seeds) were: length 10.20–11.29 (5.71–6.24) mm; width 5.29–5.83 (width 1: 2.40–2.71; width 2: 1.60–1.98) mm; weight 0.1602–0.2199 (0.0146–0.0235) g. The fruit shape of both species was similar and the length/width ratio was 1.91–2.04 in B. croatica and 1.77–2.07 in B. vulgaris. The number of seeds per fruit was 1.23–1.58 in B. croatica and 1.36–1.54 in B. vulgaris. Generally, fruits and seeds of B. vulgaris were significantly longer, wider and heavier than fruits and seeds of B. croatica. ANOVA showed significant statistical differences between populations for all analyzed fruit and seed traits while the species significantly differed in all traits, except in the fruit shape and number of seeds in fruit

The prediction of lean meat and subcutaneous fat with skin content in pork cuts on the carcass meatness and weight

Early post-mortem, objective and non-destructive prediction of tissue distribution in the major pork cuts is a challenge for the meat industry. Mathematical models to predict pig carcass composition using total lean meat percentage and carcass weight were evaluated in this study. The data were obtained from 455 cold pig carcasses which were dissected according to the EU reference method; total lean meat percentage and carcass weight ranged from 42.45 to 69.21% and from 23.26 to 55.22 kg, respectively. Developed empirical models gave a reasonable fit to the experimental data and successfully predicted the carcass composition and tissue distribution in primal cuts. The second order polynomial models showed high coefficients of determination for prediction of experimental results (between 0.612 and 0.929), while the artificial neural network (ANN) model, based on the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno iterative algorithm, showed better prediction capabilities (overall r(2) was 0.889). The newly developed software, based on ANN model is easy, fast, cheap and with sufficient precision for application in the meat industry