Comparison of the knowledge of Croatian and Slovenian elementary school and grammar school students about the human evolution

Prethodna istraživanja pokazuju da učenici imaju teškoće u razumijevanju evolucije čovjeka zbog zahtjevnosti teme. Cilj rada je bio utvrditi kakvo je znanje hrvatskih i slovenskih osnovnoškolaca te gimnazijalaca o evoluciji čovjeka. Nastojalo se utvrditi postoji li razlika u znanju učenika između dviju država, spolova, vrste škola te dobi učenika. Osim znanja, željelo se utvrditi i postojanje učeničkih miskoncepcija o evoluciji čovjeka. Istraživanje je provedeno 2017. godine u slovenskim i hrvatskim gimnazijama te osnovnim školama. Sudjelovalo je 170 učenika, od čega 100 osnovnoškolaca, te 70 gimnazijalaca iz obiju zemalja. Ukupni prosječni uspjeh na ispitu znanja bio je 64,8 %. Najzastupljeniji točan odgovor učenika odnosio se na nalazište neandertalaca u Hrvatskoj, kod kojeg je 96,4% učenika odabralo Krapinu kao točan odgovor. Rezultati su pokazali da postoje razlike u znanju o evoluciji čovjeka između učenika različitih zemalja, škola i razreda. Slovenski gimnazijalci su pokazali više znanja o evoluciji čovjeka u odnosu na hrvatske (14 statistički značajnih razlika; p < 0,05), dok su hrvatski osnovnoškolci bili uspješniji od slovenskih (16 statističko značajnih razlika; p < 0,05). Hrvatski gimnazijalci pokazali su lošije rezultate na ispitu od slovenskih osnovnoškolaca. Osnovnoškolsko znanje o evoluciji čovjeka se razlikuje od gimnazijskog po učestalosti točnih odgovora. Hrvatski osnovnoškolci su pokazali više znanja o evoluciji čovjeka od hrvatskih gimnazijalaca. Postoje razlike u poznavanju evolucije čovjeka među spolovima, ali nisu statistički značajne. I hrvatski i slovenski učenici imaju slične miskoncepcije povezane s evolucijom čovjeka. Čak 41,5% učenika smatra da su se ljudi razvili iz čimpanzi, a da smo potomci biblijskog Adama i Eve smatra 39,2% učenika. Dobiveni rezultati trebali bi utjecati na promjene u poučavanju sa svrhom postizanja boljih rezultata učenika vezanih uz koncept evolucije čovjeka, a posebice na sprečavanje stvaranja uočenih miskoncepcija.Previous studies show that students have difficulties in understanding the evolution of human beings due to difficult conceptions and complexity of the subject. The objective of this research was to determine the knowledge of Croatian and Slovenian elementary and grammar school students about human evolution. We wanted to see if there was a difference in knowledge between the students of two countries, genders, and ages. Besides the knowledge, we wanted to determine whether there exist some characteristic students misconceptions about human evolution. The research was conducted in 2017 in Slovenian and Croatian gymnasiums and primary schools.170 students participated, of which 100 Croatian and Slovenian elementary students, and 70 high school students from these countries. An anonymous knowledge test was used for the research, and the data were processed in the SPSS program with the Mann-Whitney test. Research has shown that the knowledge of tested students about human evolution is satisfying. The overall average success on the anonymous test of knowledge was 64,8%. The most common correct answer was about the Neandertal site in Croatia, where 96,4% of students selected Krapina as correct answer. We have compared and checked the results that we collected. We can conclude that there are differences in the knowledge of human evolution between students of different countries, and grades. Slovenian high school students showed more knowledge about the evolution than Croatian high school students (we found 14 statistically significant differences, p < 0.05), while Croatian elementary students were more successful than Slovenian (we found 16 statistically significant differences, p < 0.05). Croatian gymnasiums have shown worse results than Slovenian elementary school students. Primary school knowledge about human evolution differs from grammar school by the frequency of correct answers in the test. Croatian elementary school students have shown more knowledge about the human evolution than Croatian high school students. There are negligible differences in the knowledge of human evolution between the genders, and Croatian and Slovenian students have similar misconceptions associated with human evolution. 41.5% of students think that we have evolved from chimpanzees, and 39,2% of students think that we are all descendants of Biblical Adam and Eve. The obtained results will effect on changes of teaching with a purpose of achieving better student outcomes associated with the concept of human evolution, and especially to prevent the creation of new misunderstandings

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Four Medicinal Mediterranean Plants: Investigation of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity

With everyday advances in the field of pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants have high priority regarding the introduction of novel synthetic compounds by the usage of environmentally friendly extraction technologies. Herein, a supercritical CO2 extraction method was implemented in the analysis of four plants (chamomile, St. John’s wort, yarrow, and curry plant) after which the non-targeted analysis of the chemical composition, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity was evaluated. The extraction yield was the highest for the chamomile (5%), while moderate yields were obtained for the other three plants. The chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatographyhigh-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and liquid chromatography- high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) demonstrated extraction of diverse compounds including terpenes and terpenoids, fatty acids, flavonoids and coumarins, functionalized phytosterols, and polyphenols. Voltammetry of microfilm immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode using square-wave voltammetry (SWV) was applied in the analysis of extracts. It was found that antioxidant activity obtained by SWV correlates well to 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazine (DPPH) radical assay (R2 = 0.818) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (R2 = 0.640), but not to the total phenolic content (R2 = 0.092). Effective results were obtained in terms of activity showing the potential usage of supercritical CO2 extraction to acquire bioactive compounds of interest

Upotreba botulinum toksina u medicini

Neurotoxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum is an important medical substance. It is so versatile, that it can be used as a lethal weapon and in modern medicine is even gaining its popularity in the aesthetic procedures. Although it was first recognized as early as 1793 in Germany, it was not until 1989 that surgeons found its beneficial usages in medicine. The so called »miracle poison« exists in eight different exotoxins (A,B,C1,C2,D,E,F,G) – the most potent being type A. All serotypes work by a similar mechanism in interfering with the neural transmission by blocking the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – causing muscle paralysis. Botulinum toxin, or »botox«, takes about 24-72 hours to take effect and lasts nearly 8-12 weeks. Most common usages of botulinum toxin in medicine are to treat cervical dystonia, hyperhidrosis, chronic migraine, bladder dysfunction, eye twitching, cross eyes, eyelid spasms, foot pain, stomach issues, cosmetic correction of wrinkles, etc... Although the current usage of botox is primarily medical, it can also cause a serious poisoning called botulism, in fact this is also how it was first isolated from poisoned food. Clostridium botulinum bacteria produces spores and thrives in conditions where there is no oxygen, therefore most common sources of poisoning are home-canned foods, contaminated soil, honey and corn syrup. In the times of world wars, a common infection was botulism entering open wounds, whereas now it is most commonly spread through ingestion of spore contaminated foods. Although most cases of botulism aren’t life threatening, especially in the modern times, sometimes recovery requires mechanical ventilation and weeks to months of time.Neurotoksin kojeg proizvodi bakterija Clostridium botulinum je važna medicinska supstanca. Može se koristiti kao smrtonosno oružje, u modernoj medicini, a svoju popularnost dobiva čak i u estetskoj medicini. Iako je prvi put otkriven još 1793. godine u Njemačkoj, kirurzi su tek 1989. pronašli njegovu korisnu primjenu u medicini. Takozvani »čudotvorni otrov« postoji u osam različitih egzotoksina (A,B,C1,C2,D,E,F,G) – najsnažniji je tip A. Svi serotipovi djeluju sličnim mehanizmom u ometanju neuronskog prijenosa blokiranjem oslobađanja neurotransmitera acetilkolina – uzrokujući paralizu mišića. Botulinskom toksinu ili »botoksu« potrebno je oko 24-72 sata do početka djelovenja i traje gotovo 8-12 tjedana. Najčešća primjena botulinum toksina u medicini je za liječenje cervikalne distonije, hiperhidroze, kronične migrene, disfunkcije mokraćnog mjehura, trzanja očiju, grčeva očnih kapaka, bolova u stopalima, želučanih problema, kozmetičke korekcije bora, itd... Iako je trenutna uporaba botoxa prvenstveno medicinska, on može uzrokovati i ozbiljno trovanje zvano botulizam, dapače i prvi put je i izoliran iz otrovane hrane. Bakterija Clostridium botulinum stvara spore i uspijeva u uvjetima u kojima nema kisika, stoga su najčešći izvori trovanja domaća konzervirana hrana, kontaminirana zemlja, med i kukuruzni sirup. U vrijeme svjetskih ratova uobičajena infekcija je bio botulizam koji je ušao u otvorene rane, a sada se najčešće širi unosom hrane kontaminirane sporama. Iako većina slučajeva botulizma nije opasna za život, osobito u moderno doba, ponekad je za oporavak potrebna mehanička ventilacija i duž vremenski period (više tjedana, ponekad i mjeseci)

Upotreba botulinum toksina u medicini

Neurotoxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum is an important medical substance. It is so versatile, that it can be used as a lethal weapon and in modern medicine is even gaining its popularity in the aesthetic procedures. Although it was first recognized as early as 1793 in Germany, it was not until 1989 that surgeons found its beneficial usages in medicine. The so called »miracle poison« exists in eight different exotoxins (A,B,C1,C2,D,E,F,G) – the most potent being type A. All serotypes work by a similar mechanism in interfering with the neural transmission by blocking the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – causing muscle paralysis. Botulinum toxin, or »botox«, takes about 24-72 hours to take effect and lasts nearly 8-12 weeks. Most common usages of botulinum toxin in medicine are to treat cervical dystonia, hyperhidrosis, chronic migraine, bladder dysfunction, eye twitching, cross eyes, eyelid spasms, foot pain, stomach issues, cosmetic correction of wrinkles, etc... Although the current usage of botox is primarily medical, it can also cause a serious poisoning called botulism, in fact this is also how it was first isolated from poisoned food. Clostridium botulinum bacteria produces spores and thrives in conditions where there is no oxygen, therefore most common sources of poisoning are home-canned foods, contaminated soil, honey and corn syrup. In the times of world wars, a common infection was botulism entering open wounds, whereas now it is most commonly spread through ingestion of spore contaminated foods. Although most cases of botulism aren’t life threatening, especially in the modern times, sometimes recovery requires mechanical ventilation and weeks to months of time.Neurotoksin kojeg proizvodi bakterija Clostridium botulinum je važna medicinska supstanca. Može se koristiti kao smrtonosno oružje, u modernoj medicini, a svoju popularnost dobiva čak i u estetskoj medicini. Iako je prvi put otkriven još 1793. godine u Njemačkoj, kirurzi su tek 1989. pronašli njegovu korisnu primjenu u medicini. Takozvani »čudotvorni otrov« postoji u osam različitih egzotoksina (A,B,C1,C2,D,E,F,G) – najsnažniji je tip A. Svi serotipovi djeluju sličnim mehanizmom u ometanju neuronskog prijenosa blokiranjem oslobađanja neurotransmitera acetilkolina – uzrokujući paralizu mišića. Botulinskom toksinu ili »botoksu« potrebno je oko 24-72 sata do početka djelovenja i traje gotovo 8-12 tjedana. Najčešća primjena botulinum toksina u medicini je za liječenje cervikalne distonije, hiperhidroze, kronične migrene, disfunkcije mokraćnog mjehura, trzanja očiju, grčeva očnih kapaka, bolova u stopalima, želučanih problema, kozmetičke korekcije bora, itd... Iako je trenutna uporaba botoxa prvenstveno medicinska, on može uzrokovati i ozbiljno trovanje zvano botulizam, dapače i prvi put je i izoliran iz otrovane hrane. Bakterija Clostridium botulinum stvara spore i uspijeva u uvjetima u kojima nema kisika, stoga su najčešći izvori trovanja domaća konzervirana hrana, kontaminirana zemlja, med i kukuruzni sirup. U vrijeme svjetskih ratova uobičajena infekcija je bio botulizam koji je ušao u otvorene rane, a sada se najčešće širi unosom hrane kontaminirane sporama. Iako većina slučajeva botulizma nije opasna za život, osobito u moderno doba, ponekad je za oporavak potrebna mehanička ventilacija i duž vremenski period (više tjedana, ponekad i mjeseci)

Upotreba botulinum toksina u medicini

Neurotoxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum is an important medical substance. It is so versatile, that it can be used as a lethal weapon and in modern medicine is even gaining its popularity in the aesthetic procedures. Although it was first recognized as early as 1793 in Germany, it was not until 1989 that surgeons found its beneficial usages in medicine. The so called »miracle poison« exists in eight different exotoxins (A,B,C1,C2,D,E,F,G) – the most potent being type A. All serotypes work by a similar mechanism in interfering with the neural transmission by blocking the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – causing muscle paralysis. Botulinum toxin, or »botox«, takes about 24-72 hours to take effect and lasts nearly 8-12 weeks. Most common usages of botulinum toxin in medicine are to treat cervical dystonia, hyperhidrosis, chronic migraine, bladder dysfunction, eye twitching, cross eyes, eyelid spasms, foot pain, stomach issues, cosmetic correction of wrinkles, etc... Although the current usage of botox is primarily medical, it can also cause a serious poisoning called botulism, in fact this is also how it was first isolated from poisoned food. Clostridium botulinum bacteria produces spores and thrives in conditions where there is no oxygen, therefore most common sources of poisoning are home-canned foods, contaminated soil, honey and corn syrup. In the times of world wars, a common infection was botulism entering open wounds, whereas now it is most commonly spread through ingestion of spore contaminated foods. Although most cases of botulism aren’t life threatening, especially in the modern times, sometimes recovery requires mechanical ventilation and weeks to months of time.Neurotoksin kojeg proizvodi bakterija Clostridium botulinum je važna medicinska supstanca. Može se koristiti kao smrtonosno oružje, u modernoj medicini, a svoju popularnost dobiva čak i u estetskoj medicini. Iako je prvi put otkriven još 1793. godine u Njemačkoj, kirurzi su tek 1989. pronašli njegovu korisnu primjenu u medicini. Takozvani »čudotvorni otrov« postoji u osam različitih egzotoksina (A,B,C1,C2,D,E,F,G) – najsnažniji je tip A. Svi serotipovi djeluju sličnim mehanizmom u ometanju neuronskog prijenosa blokiranjem oslobađanja neurotransmitera acetilkolina – uzrokujući paralizu mišića. Botulinskom toksinu ili »botoksu« potrebno je oko 24-72 sata do početka djelovenja i traje gotovo 8-12 tjedana. Najčešća primjena botulinum toksina u medicini je za liječenje cervikalne distonije, hiperhidroze, kronične migrene, disfunkcije mokraćnog mjehura, trzanja očiju, grčeva očnih kapaka, bolova u stopalima, želučanih problema, kozmetičke korekcije bora, itd... Iako je trenutna uporaba botoxa prvenstveno medicinska, on može uzrokovati i ozbiljno trovanje zvano botulizam, dapače i prvi put je i izoliran iz otrovane hrane. Bakterija Clostridium botulinum stvara spore i uspijeva u uvjetima u kojima nema kisika, stoga su najčešći izvori trovanja domaća konzervirana hrana, kontaminirana zemlja, med i kukuruzni sirup. U vrijeme svjetskih ratova uobičajena infekcija je bio botulizam koji je ušao u otvorene rane, a sada se najčešće širi unosom hrane kontaminirane sporama. Iako većina slučajeva botulizma nije opasna za život, osobito u moderno doba, ponekad je za oporavak potrebna mehanička ventilacija i duž vremenski period (više tjedana, ponekad i mjeseci)

COMPARISON OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CROATIAN AND SLOVENIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND GRAMMAR SCHOOLSTUDENTS ABOUT THE HUMAN EVOLUTION

Dosedanje raziskave kažejo, da se pri učencih pojavljajo težave pri razumevanju evolucije človeka zaradi težke predstavljivosti in zahtevnosti teme. Cilj magistrskega dela je bil preučiti znanje hrvaških in slovenskih osnovnošolcev in gimnazijcev o evoluciji človeka. Preveriti smo hoteli, ali se pojavljajo razlike v znanju glede na državo, spol in starost. Razen količine znanja nas je zanimalo tudi, ali imajo učenci v našem vzorcu kakšne značilne napačne predstave o evoluciji človeka. Poleg tega smo poskušali ugotoviti, kateri ozadenjski dejavniki so povezani s kognitivnimi dosežki. V raziskavi je sodelovalo 170 učencev, od tega 100 osnovnošolcev iz Slovenije in Hrvaške ter 70 gimnazijcev iz omenjenih držav. Z raziskavo smo ugotovili, da je znanje vseh učencev o evoluciji človeka zadovoljivo. Povprečna uspešnost na anonimnem testu znanja je bila 64,8 %. Testna vprašanja o evoluciji človeka so bolje rešili slovenski učenci, kot pa hrvaški. Zbrane rezultate smo primerjali in lahko zaključimo, da obstajajo razlike v znanju o evoluciji človeka med učenci različnih držav in razredov. Na osnovnošolski stopnji so hrvaški učenci pokazali več znanja kot slovenski. Na gimnazijski stopnji pa so slovenski dijaki pokazali več znanja kot hrvaški. Slovenski gimnazijci so pokazali več znanja od slovenskih osnovnošolcev, hrvaški gimnazijci pa manj znanja od hrvaških osnovnošolcev. Ugotovili smo, da med spoloma obstajajo zanemarljive razlike v znanju o evoluciji človeka. Prav tako smo ugotovili, da imajo slovenski in hrvaški učenci nekatere značilne napačne predstave, ki so povezane z našo temo. Analiza anketnih vprašanj je pokazala, da je ugotovljeno znanje povezano z nekaterimi ozadenjskimi dejavniki.Previous studies shows that students have difficulty in understanding the evolution of human beings due to difficult conceptions and complexity of the subject. The objective of this research was to study the knowledge of Croatian and Slovenian elementary and grammar school students about human evolution. We wanted to see if there was a difference in knowledge between the students of different countries, genders, and ages. Besides the amount of knowledge, we were interested in whether there exist some characteristic students\u27 misconceptions about human evolution. We have also tried to determine whether there are any background factors associated with cognitive achievements. We conducted a research on 170 students, of which there were 100 primary school students and 70 grammar school students. Research has shown that the knowledge of tested students about human evolution is satisfying. The overall average success on the anonymous test of knowledge was 64,8 %. Slovenian students were better at questions about human evolution than croatian students. We have compared and checked the results that we collected. We can conclude that there are differences in the knowledge of human evolution between students of different countries, and grades. Croatian elementary school students showed more knowledge than Slovenian elementary school students. Slovenian grammar students showed more knowledge than Croatian grammar school students. Slovenian grammar school students showed more knowledge than Slovenian elementary school students, and Croatian grammar school students showed less knowledge than Croatian elementary school students. There are negligible differences in the knowledge of human evolution between the genders. We also found that Croatian and Slovenian students have some characteristic misconceptions that are related to our topic. An analysis of questionnaires has shown that students\u27 knowledge is related to background factors

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of four medicinal mediterranean plants

With everyday advances in the field of pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants have high priority regarding the introduction of novel synthetic compounds by the usage of environmentally friendly extraction technologies. Herein, a supercritical CO2 extraction method was implemented in the analysis of four plants (chamomile, St. John’s wort, yarrow, and curry plant) after which the non-targeted analysis of the chemical composition, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity was evaluated. The extraction yield was the highest for the chamomile (5%), while moderate yields were obtained for the other three plants. The chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatographyhigh-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) demonstrated extraction of diverse compounds including terpenes and terpenoids, fatty acids, flavonoids and coumarins, functionalized phytosterols, and polyphenols. Voltammetry of microfilm immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode using square-wave voltammetry (SWV) was applied in the analysis of extracts. It was found that antioxidant activity obtained by SWV correlates well to 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazine (DPPH) radical assay (R2 = 0.818) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (R2 = 0.640), but not to the total phenolic content (R 2 = 0.092). Effective results were obtained in terms of activity showing the potential usage of supercritical CO2 extraction to acquire bioactive compounds of interest

On the Adsorption of Aspartate Derivatives to Calcite Surfaces in Aqueous Environment

In many living organisms, biomolecules interact favorably with various surfaces of calcium carbonate. In this work, we have considered the interactions of aspartate (Asp) derivatives, as models of complex biomolecules, with calcite. Using kinetic growth experiments, we have investigated the inhibition of calcite growth by Asp, Asp2 and Asp3.This entailed the determination of a step-pinning growth regime as well as the evaluation of the adsorption constants and binding free energies for the three species to calcite crystals. These latter values are compared to free energy profiles obtained from fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. When using a flat (104) calcite surface in the models, the measured trend of binding energies is poorly reproduced. However, a more realistic model comprised of a surface with an island containing edges and corners, yields binding energies that compare very well with experiments. Surprisingly, we find that most binding modes involve the positively charged, ammonium group. Moreover, while attachment of the negatively charged carboxylate groups is also frequently observed, it is always balanced by the aqueous solvation of an equal or greater number of carboxylates. These effects are observed on all calcite features including edges and corners, the latter being associated with dominant affinities to Asp derivatives. As these features are also precisely the active sites for crystal growth, the experimental and theoretical results point strongly to a growth inhibition mechanism whereby these sites become blocked, preventing further attachment of dissolved ions and halting further growth

Comparative Study of Calcium Carbonates and Calcium Phosphates Precipitation in Model Systems Mimicking the Inorganic Environment for Biomineralization

The aim of this study is to contribute to understanding the mechanisms underlying the formation of biologically relevant minerals by comparing the properties of solid phases formed in calcium phosphate (CaP) or calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) precipitation systems, at defined initial experimental conditions: supersaturation, constituent ions ratio, ionic strength, and/or presence of relevant inorganic ions. Thus, three systems of different chemical complexities were investigated: (a) system containing constituent ions, (b) system containing additional co-ions, and (c) system with higher ionic strength and addition of Mg²⁺. The respective precipitation diagrams were constructed, and supersaturation domains of different CaP and CaCO₃ solid phases formation were identified. The obtained results may have implications not only for biomineralization and geochemistry, but also for materials science in general