The contribution of teacher practices to reading literacy in Serbia – Lessons we missed from PISA 2009

The main focus of this paper is the relationship between the teachers’ practice in Serbian language (reading) classes and student achievement on PISA tasks. Specifically, in an effort to examine this relationship, we focused on the link between the students’ PISA achievements and the strategies teachers use to engage the students during the reading tasks in order to structure and scaffold the work on those tasks. This two-part study relied on a mix-methodology combining quantitative and qualitative analyses. The data from the quantitative study was analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) with student and school level. The results indicated that the students have the best achievements when teachers motivate student in engagement reading and sparingly those intended for structuring and scaffolding the work on the reading tasks. The data from the qualitative analyses revealed the most useful strategies teachers and students identify and whether they recognize in their classes those strategies that were included in PISA questionnaire.[http://www.mreronline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/3-Teacher-Practices-Jos%CC%8Cic%CC%81-and-Banjac.pdf

The contribution of teacher practices to reading literacy in Serbia : lessons we missed from PISA 2009

The main focus of this paper is the relationship between the teachers’ practice in Serbian language (reading) classes and student achievement on PISA tasks. Specifically, in an effort to examine this relationship, we focused on the link between the students’ PISA achievements and the strategies teachers use to engage the students during the reading tasks in order to structure and scaffold the work on those tasks. This two-part study relied on a mix-methodology combining quantitative and qualitative analyses. The data from the quantitative study was analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) with student and school level. The results indicated that the students have the best achievements when teachers motivate student in engagement reading and sparingly those intended for structuring and scaffolding the work on the reading tasks. The data from the qualitative analyses revealed the most useful strategies teachers and students identify and whether they recognize in their classes those strategies that were included in PISA questionnaire.peer-reviewe

Insulin-like growth factor-1 reduces cardiac autosis through decreasing AMPK/FOXO1 signaling and Na+/K+-ATPase-Beclin-1 interaction

Introduction: Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) promotes survival and inhibits cardiac autophagy disruption. Methods: Male Wistar rats were treated with IGF-1 (50 μg/kg), and 24 h after injection hearts were excised. The level of interaction between Beclin-1 and the α1 subunit of sodium/potassium-adenosine triphosphates (Na+/K+-ATPase), and phosphorylated forms of IGF-1 receptor/insulin receptor (IGF-1R/IR), forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) were measured. Results: The results indicate that IGF-1 decreased Beclin-1’s association with Na+/K+-ATPase (p < 0.05), increased IGF-1R/IR and FOXO1 phosphorylation (p < 0.05), and decreased AMPK phosphorylation (p < 0.01) in rats’ hearts. Conclusions: The new IGF-1 therapy may control autosis and minimize cardiomyocyte mortality

The relationship between attachment, mentalization, and intellectual abilities in adolescence

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je da se ispita odnos vezanosti i mentalizacije, s jedne strane, i intelektualnih sposobnosti, s druge, i to na adolescentnom uzrastu, gde je taj odnos do sada malo proučavan. U istraživanju je učestvovalo 345 ispitanika (123 dečaka), učenika III razreda beogradskih srednjih škola, koji su radili tri standardna testa intelektualnih sposobnosti i popunili jedan instrument za procenu dimenzija vezanosti (SM-ECR-R) i Upitnik za samoprocenu mentalizacije (UM). U istraživanju su takođe korišćeni ranije prikupljeni podaci sa uzorka od 284 odrasle osobe. Rezultati pokazuju da su, u skladu sa očekivanjima, sigurnost vezanosti i mentalizacija u pozitivnoj vezi. Anksioznost je izraženija među adolescentima nego u normativnoj grupi odraslih ispitanika i na prvom uzorku nije povezana sa inteligencijom. Ni izbegavanje ne korelira značajno sa inteligencijom u ukupnom uzorku adolescenata, ali pokazuje značajnu negativnu vezu sa analoškim rezonovanjem i g-faktorom kada se iz uzorka isključe oni sa najvišom inteligencijom. Poduzorak intelektualno darovitih adolescenata i poduzorak dečaka pokazuju više nivoe izbegavanja nego odgovarajuće poredbene grupe - adolescenti prosečnih sposobnosti, odnosno devojčice. Rezultati dalje pokazuju da je mentalizacija pozitivno povezana sa intelektualnim sposobnostima i viša u uzorcima: a) darovitih nego devojčica prosečnih sposobnosti, b) devojčica nego dečaka i c) odraslih osoba nego adolescenata. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju na specifičnosti sistema vezanosti adolescenata (u poređenju sa odraslim ispitanicima), otkrivaju važne veze između izbegavanja, mentalizacije i intelektualnih sposobnosti, pružaju uvid u relevantne polne razlike na planu vezanosti i mentalizacije i doprinose razumevanju socioafektivnih specifičnosti intelektualno darovitih učenika.This paper explored the relationship between attachment, mentalization, and intelligence as it occurs in adolescence. Study participants were 345 students (123 males) in their third year of high school. Participants were administered three standard tests of intelligence, the SM-ECR-R, and the recently developed Mentalization Questionnaire (MQ). The study also utilized earlier collected data from a sample of 284 employed adults. In line with our research hypothesis, attachment security and mentalization were positively related, with correlations ranging from small to moderate depending on the dimension inspected. Attachment anxiety was found to be higher in the adolescent than in the adult sample, and contrary to expectations was not significantly related to intelligence in the former group. Attachment avoidance did not correlate with intelligence in the total student sample, but did show a small negative association with analogical reasoning and the g-factor when the intellectually gifted were excluded from analyses. This latter group, as well as males from the student sample scored significantly higher on attachment avoidance than their respective comparison groups - intellectually average and female adolescents. Finally, mentalization was found to be positively related to intellectual ability and higher in a) gifted than average-ability girls, b) girls than boys, and c) adults than adolescents. The results are discussed as shedding light on the peculiarities of the attachment system in adolescence, revealing specific associations between attachment avoidance, mentalization, and intellectual ability, highlighting gender differences in both attachment and mentalization, and adding to our understanding of the socioemotional characteristics of intellectually gifted students

Effects of IGF-1 on the IGFB proteins level in the serum of obese male rats

Insulin-like growth factor binding (IGFB) proteins are a group of six highly conserved proteins that bind to insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and transport them through the bloodstream to the target cells. The IGFB proteins play an important role in regulating IGF signaling pathways by lengthening their half-life. Obesity and associated disorders are linked to abnormal levels of IGFB proteins. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate how IGF-1 affects the levels of IGFB proteins in the serum of obese rats

Gene action for grain yield and its correlation with yield components in a diallel cross of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Magnitude and type of gene actions in a specific population are the main criteria for the parents' selection that will develop the best recombinants after hybridization. Information about the genetic control of complex traits is useful for the further development of efficient breeding programs. In order to identify action of genes for grain yield plant-1 and its correlation with main yield components, incomplete diallel crossing was applied. The field trial was conducted at the experimental field of the Agricultural Advisory Service in southeastern Europe, during season 2012-2013. Mean values of F1 generation showed that crosses Apache × Prima had the highest value of grain yield plant-1 and Jackson × Balkan had the lowest. Common type of inheritance for grain yield plant-1 was over dominance. The ANOVA revealed that this trait was controlled by additive and non-additive effects. The best general combiner for grain yield plant-1 was Apache, and two crosses (Dragana × Jackson; Balaton × Nevesinjka) showed significant SCA effects. Components of genetic variance showed that dominant was more important than additive component, and the total number of dominant genes were in excess over the number of recessive genes in all parents. Furthermore, moderately low value of narrow sense heritability (h2=31.96%) was observed for grain yield plant-1 . Parent Sana contained maximum dominant genes, whereas parent Jackson had maximum recessive genes. Grain yield plant-1 was significantly correlated with tillers numbers plant-1 at genotypic level (rg=0.494). The results from this study might be helpful for creating new wheat cultivars with highyielding potential

Hemijski sastav zrna sorti ječma i pšenice za ishranu životinja

Together with corn and rice, barley and wheat are the most important cereal crops. Majority of the worldwide barley production is used in animal nutrition, mostly in pig and poultry diets. Wheat is major energy source primarily grown for food production but depending on the relative market prices of the major feed grains wheat could be highly included in animal diets particularly as corn replacement. Chemical characteristics and nutritional quality of barley and wheat greatly differs and depend of grain cultivar, geographical location and growing conditions. For the accurate formulation of animal diets knowledge on accurate chemical composition of the ingredients is mandatory. In this study chemical composition of five cultivars of winter barley (NS Litos, NS Maestral, Nonius, Novosadski 565 and NS Talos) and four winter wheat cultivars (NS Ilina, NS 40S, NS Mila and NS Obala) was determined. All analyzed cultivars of barley and wheat were grown at four different locations in northern Serbia (Bačka Topola, Kikinda, Senta and Subotica) and harvested in 2018 year. The chemical evaluation of barley and wheat samples included determination of moisture content, crude protein, crude fat, crude ash and crude fiber content. Test weight of all varieties is also determined.Pšenica i ječam zajedno sa kukuruzom i pirinčem su najznačajnija žita. Većina svestke proizvodnje ječma koristi se za ishranu životinja, uglavnom svinja i živine. Pšenica je osnovni izvor energija koji se prvenstvena uzgaja za ishranu ljudi, ali u zavisnosti od variranja cena na tržištu najvažnijih žita koja se koriste za ishranu životinja pšenica u visokom procentu može biti korišćena i u ishrani životinja, pogotovo kao zamena za kukuruz. Hemijski sastav i nutritivna vrednost ječma i pšenice veoma se razlikuje i zavisi od sorte, geografske lokacije i uslova gajenja. Za tačnu formulaciju ishrane životinja neophodno je znanje o tačnom hemijskom sastavu svih osnovnih jedinjenja polazne sirovine. U ovom istraživanju je ispitan hemijski sastav pet sorti ozimog ječma (NS Litos, NS Maestral, Nonius, Novosadski 565 and NS Talos) i četiri sorte ozime pšenice (NS Ilina, NS 40S, NS Mila and NS Obala). Svi analizirani uzorci ječma i pšenice su proizvedeni na četiri različita lokaliteta u severnoj Srbiji (Bačka Topola, Kikinda, Senta and Subotica) – žetva 2018 godine. Od hemijskih parametara je određen sadržaj vlage, proteina, masti, pepela, i vlakana. Takođe je određena i zapreminska masa svih uzoraka

Role of C-Reactive Protein in Diabetic Inflammation

Even though type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a worldwide chronic health issue that affects about 462 million people, specific underlying determinants of insulin resistance (IR) and impaired insulin secretion are still unknown. There is growing evidence that chronic subclinical inflammation is a triggering factor in the origin of T2DM. Increased C-reactive protein (CRP) levels have been linked to excess body weight since adipocytes produce tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), which are pivotal factors for CRP stimulation. Furthermore, it is known that hepatocytes produce relatively low rates of CRP in physiological conditions compared to T2DM patients, in which elevated levels of inflammatory markers are reported, including CRP. CRP also participates in endothelial dysfunction, the production of vasodilators, and vascular remodeling, and increased CRP level is closely associated with vascular system pathology and metabolic syndrome. In addition, insulin-based therapies may alter CRP levels in T2DM. Therefore, determining and clarifying the underlying CRP mechanism of T2DM is imperative for novel preventive and diagnostic procedures. Overall, CRP is one of the possible targets for T2DM progression and understanding the connection between insulin and inflammation may be helpful in clinical treatment and prevention approaches

Cartographie interactive du langage et de la mémoire chez les patients avec épilepsie focale et pharmaco-résistante. Evaluation multimodale

Current theoretical frameworks suggest that human behaviors are based on strong and complex interactions between cognitive processes such as those underlying language and declarative memory that are supported by the interaction between underlying cortical networks. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) present a model for studying the interaction between language and memory since they frequently show difficulties in both domains. The aim of this thesis was twofold. On one side, it aimed at describing language-memory interaction from the fundamental cognitive neuroscience perspective. On the other, it focused on the clinical application of this interactive perspective.In the present work, we first demonstrate how language and memory can be mapped interactively using a novel fMRI protocol. Using this protocol in healthy individuals, we show that this interaction is based on an extensive fronto-temporo-parietal language and memory network (LMN) including subcortical structures that corresponds well with the network which could be expected based on the existing models. We subsequently explored the reorganization of LMN in left TLE patients using the same protocol. Our results indicated that these patients employ similar LMN, but demonstrate widespread inter- and intra-hemispheric reorganization. They showed reduced activity of regions engaged in the integration and the coordination of the LMN.Following these results, we explored the functional dynamics of this interactive network. We showed that LMN is dynamic and reconfigures according to task demands and neurological status. By exploring the differences between state-dependent LMN configurations, we identified the key language and declarative memory subprocesses the network is trying to support with its adaptation. On the other hand, studying the reorganization of this reconfiguration in TLE patients allowed us to understand the supplementary processes language-memory interaction needs when the standard interface is not functional.We conclude our work by proposing a neurocognitive model of language-memory interaction based on the integration of our findings. Moreover, we discuss the importance of exploring this interaction within presurgical evaluation for TLE patients, especially individually. In addition, we present as perspectives of this work the multimodal prediction of postsurgical cognitive outcome in TLE patients. Our work supports the perspective that complex and interactive cognitive functions, such as language and declarative memory, should be investigated dynamically, considering the interaction between cognitive and cortical networks.Les cadres théoriques actuels suggèrent que les comportements humains sont basés sur des interactions fortes et complexes entre les processus cognitifs, tels que ceux qui sous-tendent le langage et la mémoire déclarative, et qui reposent sur l’interaction entre les réseaux corticaux sous-jacents. Les patients atteints d’épilepsie du lobe temporal (TLE) constituent un modèle pour l’étude de l’interaction entre le langage et la mémoire puisqu’ils présentent fréquemment des difficultés dans ces deux domaines. L’objectif de cette thèse était double. D’une part, elle visait à décrire l’interaction langage-mémoire du point de vue des neurosciences cognitives fondamentales. D’autre part, elle s’est concentrée sur l’application clinique de cette perspective interactive.Dans le présent travail, nous démontrons d’abord comment le langage et la mémoire peuvent être cartographiés de manière interactive en utilisant un nouveau protocole d’IRMf (Imagerie par Résonnance Magnétique fonctionnelle). En utilisant ce protocole chez des individus sains, nous montrons que cette interaction est basée sur un vaste réseau fronto-temporo-pariétal du langage et de la mémoire (LMN) qui inclut des structures sous-corticales, et qui correspond bien au réseau auquel on pourrait s’attendre sur la base des modèles existants. Nous avons ensuite exploré la réorganisation du LMN chez des patients TLE gauche en utilisant le même protocole. Nos résultats indiquent que ces patients utilisent un LMN similaire, mais démontrent une réorganisation inter- et intra-hémisphérique étendue. Ils ont présenté une activité réduite des régions engagées dans l’intégration et la coordination du LMN. Suite à ces résultats, nous avons exploré la dynamique fonctionnelle de ce réseau interactif. Nous avons montré que le LMN est dynamique et se reconfigure en fonction des exigences de la tâche et de l’état neurologique. En explorant les différences entre les configurations du LMN dépendant de l’état, nous avons identifié les sous-processus clés du langage et de la mémoire déclarative que le réseau tente de soutenir par son adaptation. D’autre part, l’étude de cette reconfiguration chez les patients TLE nous a permis de comprendre les processus supplémentaires dont l’interaction langage-mémoire a besoin lorsque l’interface standard n’est pas fonctionnelle.Nous concluons notre travail en proposant un modèle neurocognitif de l’interaction langage mémoire basé sur l’intégration de nos résultats. De plus, nous discutons de l’importance d’explorer cette interaction dans le cadre de l’évaluation pré-chirurgicale des patients TLE, en particulier au niveau individuel. En outre, nous présentons comme perspectives de ce travail la prédiction multimodale des résultats cognitifs post-chirurgicaux chez les patients TLE. Notre travail soutient la perspective selon laquelle les fonctions cognitives complexes et interactives, telles que le langage et la mémoire déclarative, devraient être étudiées de manière dynamique, en tenant compte de l’interaction entre les réseaux cognitifs et corticaux

Cartographie interactive du langage et de la mémoire chez les patients avec épilepsie focale et pharmaco-résistante. Evaluation multimodale

Current theoretical frameworks suggest that human behaviors are based on strong and complex interactions between cognitive processes such as those underlying language and declarative memory that are supported by the interaction between underlying cortical networks. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) present a model for studying the interaction between language and memory since they frequently show difficulties in both domains. The aim of this thesis was twofold. On one side, it aimed at describing language-memory interaction from the fundamental cognitive neuroscience perspective. On the other, it focused on the clinical application of this interactive perspective.In the present work, we first demonstrate how language and memory can be mapped interactively using a novel fMRI protocol. Using this protocol in healthy individuals, we show that this interaction is based on an extensive fronto-temporo-parietal language and memory network (LMN) including subcortical structures that corresponds well with the network which could be expected based on the existing models. We subsequently explored the reorganization of LMN in left TLE patients using the same protocol. Our results indicated that these patients employ similar LMN, but demonstrate widespread inter- and intra-hemispheric reorganization. They showed reduced activity of regions engaged in the integration and the coordination of the LMN.Following these results, we explored the functional dynamics of this interactive network. We showed that LMN is dynamic and reconfigures according to task demands and neurological status. By exploring the differences between state-dependent LMN configurations, we identified the key language and declarative memory subprocesses the network is trying to support with its adaptation. On the other hand, studying the reorganization of this reconfiguration in TLE patients allowed us to understand the supplementary processes language-memory interaction needs when the standard interface is not functional.We conclude our work by proposing a neurocognitive model of language-memory interaction based on the integration of our findings. Moreover, we discuss the importance of exploring this interaction within presurgical evaluation for TLE patients, especially individually. In addition, we present as perspectives of this work the multimodal prediction of postsurgical cognitive outcome in TLE patients. Our work supports the perspective that complex and interactive cognitive functions, such as language and declarative memory, should be investigated dynamically, considering the interaction between cognitive and cortical networks.Les cadres théoriques actuels suggèrent que les comportements humains sont basés sur des interactions fortes et complexes entre les processus cognitifs, tels que ceux qui sous-tendent le langage et la mémoire déclarative, et qui reposent sur l’interaction entre les réseaux corticaux sous-jacents. Les patients atteints d’épilepsie du lobe temporal (TLE) constituent un modèle pour l’étude de l’interaction entre le langage et la mémoire puisqu’ils présentent fréquemment des difficultés dans ces deux domaines. L’objectif de cette thèse était double. D’une part, elle visait à décrire l’interaction langage-mémoire du point de vue des neurosciences cognitives fondamentales. D’autre part, elle s’est concentrée sur l’application clinique de cette perspective interactive.Dans le présent travail, nous démontrons d’abord comment le langage et la mémoire peuvent être cartographiés de manière interactive en utilisant un nouveau protocole d’IRMf (Imagerie par Résonnance Magnétique fonctionnelle). En utilisant ce protocole chez des individus sains, nous montrons que cette interaction est basée sur un vaste réseau fronto-temporo-pariétal du langage et de la mémoire (LMN) qui inclut des structures sous-corticales, et qui correspond bien au réseau auquel on pourrait s’attendre sur la base des modèles existants. Nous avons ensuite exploré la réorganisation du LMN chez des patients TLE gauche en utilisant le même protocole. Nos résultats indiquent que ces patients utilisent un LMN similaire, mais démontrent une réorganisation inter- et intra-hémisphérique étendue. Ils ont présenté une activité réduite des régions engagées dans l’intégration et la coordination du LMN. Suite à ces résultats, nous avons exploré la dynamique fonctionnelle de ce réseau interactif. Nous avons montré que le LMN est dynamique et se reconfigure en fonction des exigences de la tâche et de l’état neurologique. En explorant les différences entre les configurations du LMN dépendant de l’état, nous avons identifié les sous-processus clés du langage et de la mémoire déclarative que le réseau tente de soutenir par son adaptation. D’autre part, l’étude de cette reconfiguration chez les patients TLE nous a permis de comprendre les processus supplémentaires dont l’interaction langage-mémoire a besoin lorsque l’interface standard n’est pas fonctionnelle.Nous concluons notre travail en proposant un modèle neurocognitif de l’interaction langage mémoire basé sur l’intégration de nos résultats. De plus, nous discutons de l’importance d’explorer cette interaction dans le cadre de l’évaluation pré-chirurgicale des patients TLE, en particulier au niveau individuel. En outre, nous présentons comme perspectives de ce travail la prédiction multimodale des résultats cognitifs post-chirurgicaux chez les patients TLE. Notre travail soutient la perspective selon laquelle les fonctions cognitives complexes et interactives, telles que le langage et la mémoire déclarative, devraient être étudiées de manière dynamique, en tenant compte de l’interaction entre les réseaux cognitifs et corticaux