Narava znanosti v grških srednješolskih bioloških učbeniki

The nature of science describes what science is, how it works, and its interactions with society under the perspectives of philosophy, history, sociology, and psychology of science. Understanding it is an essential aspect of scientific literacy. Given the critical role that school textbooks hold, considering what is taught and how it is taught in schools, we find the presence of the nature of science in school science textbooks to be significant. In this research paper, all Greek biology textbooks of lower secondary education are analysed to evaluate whether principal elements of the nature of science can be found in them. The whole array of educational resources available (textbooks, workbooks, lab guides, teachers’ books) was analysed as well as the corresponding official biology curricula. Content analysis was the method of choice, and the ‘meaning unit’ was the unit of analysis. We found that most of the nature of science references in the material that students were taught in 2021/22 was implicit and not especially designed by the curriculum. Some nature of science aspects were more commonly found (e.g., evidence is vital in science) than others (e.g., science has limits). The most opportunities for the nature of science to be introduced were found in history of science vignettes, laboratory activities, and some optional inquiry activities. However, without a structured design from the curriculum, it is the teachers’ responsibility to design and facilitate nature of science instruction (or not). We conclude that lacking explicit references, the nature of science falls into the hidden curriculum and becomes falsely depicted, enforcing a positivist image of science. (DIPF/Orig.

Sex Differences in Kappa Opioid Receptor Function and Their Potential Impact on Addiction

Behavioral, biological, and social sequelae that lead to drug addiction differ between men and women. Our efforts to understand addiction on a mechanistic level must include studies in both males and females. Stress, anxiety, and depression are tightly linked to addiction, and whether they precede or result from compulsive drug use depends on many factors, including biological sex. The neuropeptide dynorphin (DYN), an endogenous ligand at kappa opioid receptors (KORs), is necessary for stress-induced aversive states and is upregulated in the brain after chronic exposure to drugs of abuse. KOR agonists produce signs of anxiety, fear, and depression in laboratory animals and humans, findings that have led to the hypothesis that drug withdrawal-induced DYN release is instrumental in negative reinforcement processes that drive addiction. However, these studies were almost exclusively conducted in males. Only recently is evidence available that there are sex differences in the effects of KOR activation on affective state. This review focuses on sex differences in DYN and KOR systems and how these might contribute to sex differences in addictive behavior. Much of what is known about how biological sex influences KOR systems is from research on pain systems. The basic molecular and genetic mechanisms that have been discovered to underlie sex differences in KOR function in pain systems may apply to sex differences in KOR function in reward systems. Our goals are to discuss the current state of knowledge on how biological sex contributes to KOR function in the context of pain, mood, and addiction and to explore potential mechanisms for sex differences in KOR function. We will highlight evidence that the function of DYN-KOR systems is influenced in a sex-dependent manner by: polymorphisms in the prodynorphin (pDYN) gene, genetic linkage with the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), heterodimerization of KORs and mu opioid receptors (MORs), and gonadal hormones. Finally, we identify several gaps in our understanding of “if” and “how” DYN and KORs modulate addictive behavior in a sex-dependent manner. Future work may address these gaps by building on the mechanistic studies outlined in this review. Ultimately this will enable the development of novel and effective addiction treatments tailored to either males or females

Μελέτη διασποράς της επιδημίας HIV-1 υπότυπου Α σε Ελλάδα και Κύπρο

Εισαγωγή και σκοπός: Στη Βόρεια Αμερική και τη Δυτική Ευρώπη κυριαρχεί ο υπότυπος Β του ιού της ανθρώπινης ανοσοανεπάρκειας τύπου 1 (HIV-1). Τα τελευταία χρόνια έχει παρατηρηθεί αύξηση του επιπολασμού των μη-B υποτύπων στην Ευρώπη. Συγκεκριμένα, η Αλβανία, η Ελλάδα και η Κύπρος αποτελούν λίγες από τις περιοχές στην Ευρώπη όπου ο υπότυπος Α αποτελεί τον κυρίαρχο μη-Β υπότυπο και ο υψηλός επιπολασμός του δεν οφείλεται στην επιδημία των χρηστών ενδοφλέβιων ναρκωτικών-ΧΕΝ της Ανατολικής Ευρώπης ή σε μετανάστευση από Αφρική. Σκοπός της μελέτης είναι να διερευνηθεί ο τρόπος διασποράς των στελεχών υπότυπου Α της Κύπρου και να εκτιμηθεί η γεωγραφική προέλευ-ση της HIV λοίμωξης για αυτά τα στελέχη. Υλικό και μέθοδοι: Αναλύθηκαν 66 αλληλουχίες HIV-1 υπότυπου Α διαθέσι-μες στο γονίδιο pol οι οποίες είχαν απομονωθεί στην Κύπρο το χρονικό διάστημα μεταξύ 2004-2012. Η υποτύπηση των αλληλουχιών πραγματοποιήθηκε με τα εργαλεία υποτύπησης COMET και REGA. Οι αλληλουχίες από Κύπρο (Ν=66) αναλύθηκαν φυλογενετικά με αλληλουχίες αναφοράς. Ως αλληλουχίες αναφοράς χρησιμοποιήθηκαν όλες τις διαθέσιμες αλληλουχίες υπότυπου Α από Ελλάδα (Ν=1.226) και Αλβανία (Ν=36), ένα τυχαία επιλεγμένο δείγμα αλληλουχιών υπό-τυπου Α από τη βάση δεδομένων του HIV (Ν=3.000) και οι πιο όμοιες γενετικά αλληλουχίες με τις αλληλουχίες της Κύπρου οι οποίες εντοπίστηκαν μέσω του αλγόριθμου BLAST (Ν=92). Ως τοπικά δίκτυα μετάδοσης του ιού ορίστηκαν οι φυλογενετικές ομάδες που απαρτίζονταν τουλάχιστον κατά 70% από στελέχη με κοινή γεωγραφική περιοχή δειγματοληψίας. Ο τρόπος διασποράς του ιού εκτιμήθηκε μέσω φυλογενετικής ανάλυσης η οποία βασίστηκε στη μέθοδο μέγιστης πιθανοφάνειας και πραγματοποιήθηκε στο πρόγραμμα RAxML v8.0.20. Η εκτίμηση της γεωγραφικής προέλευσης της λοίμωξης πραγματοποιήθηκε μέσω φυλογε-ωγραφικής ανάλυσης η οποία βασίστηκε στη μέθοδο μέγιστης φειδωλότητας και πραγματοποιήθηκε στο πρόγραμμα Mesquite v3.31. Αποτελέσματα: Η φυλογενετική ανάλυση έδειξε πως εντός της ελληνικής επιδημίας εντοπίστηκαν τα 37 από τα 66 (56%) στελέχη του ιού από την Κύπρο. Το 65% (24/37) των μεταδόσεων σχετίζονταν με σεξουαλική επαφή μεταξύ ανδρών (MSM) και το 35% (13/37) με ετεροφυλοφιλική σεξουαλική επαφή. Επίσης, τα 30 από τα 37 (81%) στελέχη σχημάτισαν 7 επιμέρους τοπικά δίκτυα μετάδοσης του ιού με εύρος από 2 έως 11 αλληλουχίες. Εκτός της ελληνικής επιδημίας εντοπίστηκαν τα υπόλοιπα 29 (44%) στελέχη από Κύπρο. Η φυλογεωγραφική ανάλυση έδειξε ότι η γεωγραφική προέλευση της λοίμωξης για 20 (69%) στελέχη ήταν οι χώρες της πρώην Σοβιετικής Ένωσης (FSU), εκ των οποίων το 65% των μετα-δόσεων σχετίζονταν με ετεροφυλοφιλική σεξουαλική επαφή, για 1 (3.5%) στέλεχος η Κένυα και για 1 (3.5%) το Καμερούν. Για τις υπόλοιπες 7 (24%) αλληλουχίες από Κύπρο δε μπόρεσε να εκτιμηθεί η γεωγραφική προέλευση της HIV λοίμωξης. Συμπεράσματα: Η Κύπρος είναι μια από τις λίγες χώρες στη Κεντρική και Δυ-τική Ευρώπη όπου ο υπότυπος Α εντοπίζεται με υψηλό επιπολασμό. Η μελέτη μας έδειξε ότι η επιδημία υπότυπου Α στην Κύπρο αποτελείται από δύο επιμέρους επιδημίες. Η πρώτη έχει ελληνική προέλευση και σχετίζεται κυρίως με μετά-δοση του ιού μέσω σεξουαλικής επαφής μεταξύ ανδρών (MSM). Η δεύτερη έχει εισαχθεί στην Κύπρο από πολλές διαφορετικές γεωγραφικές περιοχές, με τις χώρες της πρώην Σοβιετικής Ένωσης να αποτελούν τις κύριες πηγές, και σχετίζεται κυρίως με ετεροφυλοφιλική σεξουαλική επαφή. Τα ευρήματα μας μπορούν να εξηγηθούν από τις συχνές μετακινήσεις πληθυσμών μεταξύ Ελλάδας και Κύπρου, όπου οι λαοί των χωρών αυτών έχουν κοινή εθνικότητα (πρώτη επιμέρους ε-πιδημία), καθώς επίσης και από το γεγονός ότι η γεωγραφική θέση της Κύπρου μεταξύ τριών ηπείρων την καθιστά δημοφιλή τουριστικό, πολιτιστικό και επαγγελματικό προορισμό για πολλούς διαφορετικούς πληθυσμούς (δεύτερη επιμέρους επιδημία).Introduction and purpose: Subtype B of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) dominates in North America and Western Europe. During the last years has been noticed an increased prevalence of the non-B HIV-1 subtypes in Europe. Specifically, Albania, Greece and Cyprus are among the few European countries that the subtype A is the predominant non-B clade and the high rates of prevalence are not caused by people who inject drugs (PWID) of the Eastern Europe or the African migration. Our aim was to investigate the patterns of dispersal and the origin of subtype-A transmissions in Cyprus by means of phylogeographic analysis. Material and methods: We studied 66 subtype A sequences available in the pol gene, isolated from HIV-1 diagnosed patients from Cyprus during 2004-2012. The subtyping of the sequences was carried out by using COMET and REGA subtyping tools. The sequences from Cyprus (N=66) were analyzed phylogenetically with reference sequences. As reference sequences were used all the available sequences of subtype A from Greece (N=1.226) and Albania (Ν=36), a random set of globally sampled A sequences available on Los Alamos HIV database (N=3.000) and the most closely related sequences to our study population using the BLAST tool (N=92). As local transmission networks (LTNs) were defined the phylogenetic clusters that were composed by at least 70% strains with common geographical origin of sampling. Phylogenetic trees were estimated by the maximum likelihood (ML) method as implemented in RAxML v8.0.20, using the GTR+G mode. The estimation of the geographical origin of the virus was performed by means of phylogeographic analysis that was performed by reconstructing ancestral states using the criterion of parsimony as implemented in Mesquite v3.31. Results: Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 37 of the 66 (56%) Cyprus’ virus strains were detected within the Greek LTN. The 65% (24/37) of the transmis-sions were from individuals reported men having sex with men (MSM) as trans-mission risk group and the 35% (13/37) from heterosexuals. Additionally, 30 of the 37 (81%) of the strains formed 7 LTNs with a range of 2 to 11 sequences. For 29 (43.9%) sequences from Cyprus we found that they did not cluster within the Greek LTN. Phylogeographic analysis showed that the geographical origin of infections for 20 (69%) individuals from whom sequences didn’t belong to the Greek LTN were the Former Soviet Union countries (FSU), for 1 (3.5%) was Kenya and for 1 (3.5%) was Cameroon. Regarding the remaining 7 (24%) se-quences from Cyprus it was not possible to estimate the geographical origin of the HIV infection. Conclusion: Cyprus is one of the few countries in central and western Europe where the subtype A is found at high prevalence. Our study showed that the subtype A epidemic in Cyprus is composed from two distinct sub-epidemics. The first one originates from Greece and is mainly associated with Cypriots and MSM risk group. The second has been introduced from different locations with the Former Soviet Union countries to be the dominant source. These patterns can be explained due to the high population mobility between Greece and Cyprus, where their populations share a common ethnicity (first epidemic), and also due to that Cyprus is located the cross-road between three continents, providing an attractive touristic, cultural and business destination for many diverse populations (second epidemic)

Following Darwin’s footsteps: Evaluating the impact of an activity designed for elementary school students to link historically important evolution key concepts on their understanding of natural selection

While several researchers have suggested that evolution should be explored from the initial years of schooling, little information is available on effective resources to enhance elementary school students’ level of understanding of evolution by natural selection (LUENS). For the present study, we designed, implemented, and evaluated an educational activity planned for fourth graders (9 to 10 years old) to explore concepts and conceptual fields that were historically important for the discovery of natural selection. Observation field notes and students’ productions were used to analyze how the students explored the proposed activity. Additionally, an evaluation framework consisting of a test, the evaluation criteria, and the scoring process was applied in two fourth-grade classes (N = 44) to estimate elementary school students’ LUENS before and after engaging in the activity. Our results show that our activity allowed students to link the key concepts, resulting in a significant increase of their understanding of natural selection. They also reveal that additional activities and minor fine-tuning of the present activity are required to further support students’ learning about the concept of differential reproduction.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sex-Dependent Changes in miRNA Expression in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Following Stress

Anxiety disorders disproportionately affect women compared to men, which may arise from sex differences in stress responses. MiRNAs are small non-coding RNAs known to regulate gene expression through actions on mRNAs. MiRNAs are regulated, in part, by factors such as stress and gonadal sex, and they have been implicated in the pathophysiology of multiple psychiatric disorders. Here, we assessed putative sex differences in miRNA expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) – a sexually dimorphic brain region implicated in anxiety – of adult male and female rats that had been exposed to social isolation (SI) stress throughout adolescence. To assess the translational utility of our results, we assessed if childhood trauma in humans resulted in changes in blood miRNA expression that are similar to those observed in rats. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent SI during adolescence or remained group housed (GH) and were tested for anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze as adults. Small RNA sequencing was performed on tissue extracted from the BNST. Furthermore, we re-analyzed an already available small RNA sequencing data set from the Grady Trauma Project (GTP) from men and women to identify circulating miRNAs that are associated with childhood trauma exposure. Our results indicated that there were greater anxiogenic-like effects and changes in BNST miRNA expression in SI versus GH females compared to SI versus GH males. In addition, we found nine miRNAs that were regulated in both the BNST from SI compared to GH rats and in blood samples from humans exposed to childhood trauma. These studies emphasize the utility of rodent models in studying neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders and suggest that rodent models could be used to identify novel sex-specific pharmacotherapies for anxiety disorders

Development and validation of a framework for the assessment of school curricula on the presence of evolutionary concepts (FACE)

Evolution is a key concept of biology, fundamental to understand the world and address important societal problems, but research studies show that it is still not widely understood and accepted. Several factors are known to influence evolution acceptance and understanding, but little information is available regarding the impacts of the curriculum on these aspects. Very few curricula have been examined to assess the coverage of biological evolution. The available studies do not allow comparative analyses, due to the different methodologies employed by the authors. However, such an analysis would be useful for research purposes and for the development of appropriate educational policies to address the problem of a lack of evolution acceptance in some countries. In this paper we describe the steps through which we developed a valid and reliable instrument for curricula analysis known as FACE: “Framework to Assess the Coverage of biological Evolution by school curricula.” This framework was developed based on the “Understanding Evolution Conceptual Framework” (UECF). After an initial pilot study, our framework was reformulated based on identified issues and experts’ opinions. To generate validity and reliability evidence in support of the framework, it was applied to four European countries’ curricula. For each country, a team of a minimum of two national and two foreign coders worked independently to assess the curriculum using this framework for content analysis. Reliability evidence was estimated using Krippendorf's alpha and resulted in appropriate values for coding the examined curricula. Some issues that coders faced during the analysis were discussed and, to ensure better reliability for future researchers, additional guidelines and one extra category were included in the framework. The final version of the framework includes six categories and 34 subcategories. FACE is a useful tool for the analysis and the comparison of curricula and school textbooks regarding the coverage of evolution, and such results can guide curricula development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Correction to: Development and validation of a framework for the assessment of school curricula on the presence of evolutionary concepts (FACE)

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EuroScitizen Working Group 2 I Identifying needs and opportunities to improve the contribution of formal education to public literacy on evolution

EuroScitizen is a COST Action and involves a research network whose aim is to identify strategies to raise levels of scientific literacy about evolution in Europe. EuroScitizen comprises five working groups (WG) and this poster summarizes the current achievements of WG2 on formal education. WG2 aims to identify the needs and opportunities to improve the teaching of evolution since the first school years in distinct countries and enhance the contribution of formal education to European public scientific literacy on this important topic. To achieve these objectives we are studying: i) the school curricula and ii) textbooks of the participating countries; iii) teachers’ content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about teaching evolution and effective methodologies and strategies to empower teachers about evolution education; and iv) strategies to promote evolution understanding in elementary school students. This poster presents some of the current achievements of WG2, such as: i) publication of a paper about the development and validation of a framework for the assessment of school curricula on the presence of evolutionary concepts (FACE); ii) comparison of the content of most adopted textbooks in the schools of 8 countries, from the 1st to the 9th grade, about the presence of evolution Big Ideas; iii) identification of teachers’ best practices in evolution education and teacher’ training actions about evolution education; and iv) the publication of a study about the evolutionary concepts that elementary school students most often used after a pedagogical intervention. The next steps of the WG2 are also presented.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Σχεδιασμός, Σύνθεση και Αντιμυκοβακτηριδιακή Δράση Υδροξαμικών Οξέων και Υδραζιδίων Υποκατεστημένων Κινναμωμικών Οξέων και (2E,4E)-5-Φαινυλοπεντα-2,4-διενοϊκών Οξέων

Στη παρούσα διατριβή μελετώνται τα υδροξαμικά οξέα, τα παράγωγά τους και τα υδραζίδια καθώς και η αντιφυματική τους δράση. Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται το μυκοβακτήριο της φυματίωσης, οι σύγχρονες τεχνικές διάγνωσης και οι θεραπείες που προτείνονται για την αντιμετώπιση της φυματίωσης. Επιπλέον, αναφέρονται οι ανθεκτικές μορφές της φυματίωσης και τονίζεται η ανάγκη εύρεσης νέων φαρμάκων. Στο επόμενο κεφάλαιο γίνεται αναφορά στη βιολογική δράση των υδροξαμικών οξέων, των κινναμωμικών οξέων και των υδραζιδίων, καθώς και οι γενικές μέθοδοι σύνθεσής τους. Στο δεύτερο μέρος αναλύεται ο σχεδιασμός και η σύνθεση υδροξαμικών οξέων, υποκατεστημένων υδροξαμικών οξέων και υδραζιδίων αναλόγων της ισονιαζίδης, ένα από τα φάρμακα πρώτης γραμμής για τη θεραπεία της φυματίωσης. Τέλος, παρουσιάζονται οι συνθετικές μέθοδοι και οι χαρακτηρισμοί αυτών των ενώσεων.In the present thesis, hydroxamic acids, their derivatives and hydrazides are discussed, as well as their anti-tuberculosis activity. The first chapter presents Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, the modern diagnostics and treatment methods that are currently being used against tuberculosis. Furthermore, resistant forms of tuberculosis are reported and the need to find new drugs is emphasized. The biological activity of hydroxamic acids, cinnamic acids and hydrazides, along with the general methods of their synthesis are described in the next chapter. The second part analyzes the design and synthesis of hydroxamic acids, substituted hydroxamic acids and hydrazides, analogues of isoniazid, one of the first-line drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis. Finally, the procedures and characterizations of these compounds are presented

Can ICT in biology courses improve AD/HD students’ achievement?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is one of the most frequently occurring disorders in school children, and information and communication technology (ICT) in education is one of the tools that is lately considered as helpful for the education of some children with disorders. This research is a case study – using mixed-methods – of the contribution of an ICT-based biology course for the improvement of school achievement of an AD/HD student. Interviews and observations using two independent observers were the research tools for the collection of data, whose analysis revealed that the AD/HD student preferred the ICT lesson, during which all three characteristics of the syndrome became less intense and he was more focused on the educational procedure in comparison with other times. The AD/HD student became more positive toward the biology course and he better understood the biology concepts. © 2016, © The Author(s) 2016