Attitudes of university students of biology towards bees and their protection

By the number of species, insects are the most numerous group of invertebrates. They play an important role in nature, in ecosystems. Especially important are insect pollinators that provide survival for plants and other species. Among them, bees are extremely important and effective pollinators. Today, there is a global decline in the number of pollinators, especially bees. Taking into account the aforementioned facts in relation to the attitudes of students towards bees and other invertebrates, at different levels of education, the analysis of student attitudes at the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, in relation to this problem has been done. The aim of this study was to determine students' attitudes on bees and their protection, and to analyze them from the perspective of several factors, such as gender, knowledge of bees, place of residence and attending a course Biology of bees with beekeeping. For this purpose, the survey questionnaire has been constructed and distributed. By analyzing the results of the questionnaire, it was found that students’ knowledge and attitudes were correlated in the sense that a higher level of knowledge correlates with more positive attitudes. Students who attended the course Biology of bees with beekeeping showed more positive attitudes towards bees than students who didn’t attend this course. It was also noticed that gender and place of residence affected the attitudes (fear, disgust) toward bees. Almost all students expressed an attitude that bees are an important part of nature. A large number of students have knowledge about global bees decline. Almost all students expressed that bees have to be protected, especially students who have been completed the course Biology of bees with beekeeping. These students also have a more positive attitude that it should be more learning about bees. Based on the results obtained in this study, programs of university biology courses further will be enriched with educational content about bees, their importance/roles in nature and ways for their protection

STAVOVI I MIŠLJENJA STUDENATA BIOLOGIJE O PRIMJENI PROGRAMIRANE NASTAVE U REALIZACIJI FIZIOLOŠKIH PROGRAMSKIH SADRŽAJA

This paper analyzes the effect of programmed biology teaching on the development of motivational processes in students in the field of physiological programming content of the subject Human anatomy and physiology. The study sample consisted of 60 graduate students grouped into one experimental and one control group. For the experimental group, the physiological courses (Teaching Area: Nervous System) were carried out using programmed instruction, which was performed using computer and programmed materials containing the concept maps. The control group at the same facility implemented the classical-lecturing teaching. After elaborating on the teaching material, a survey was conducted for students of the experimental group. The survey results show a great interest by students in the programmed model of teaching and reported high motivation for adopting physiological programming content using such a didactic model. U ovom radu analizira se primjena programirane nastave biologije na razvoj motivacijskih procesa kod studenata u području fizioloških programskih sadržaja nastavnog predmeta Anatomija i fiziologija čovjeka. Uzorak istraživanja činilo je 60 studenata diplomskih akademskih studija, koji su bili grupirani u jednu eksperimentalnu i jednu kontrolnu skupinu. Eksperimentalna skupina je realizirala fiziološke nastavne sadržaje (Nastavno oblaspodručje: Živčani sustav) primjenom programirane nastave, koja je izvođena uz pomoć kompjutora i programiranih materijala, koji su sadržavali i izradu mapa pojmova. Kontrolna skupina je iste sadržaje realizirala klasičnom predavačkom nastavom. Nakon ovakve obrade nastavnog gradiva provedena je anketa za studente eksperimentalne skupine. Rezultati ankete pokazuju veliku zainteresiranost studenata za programirani model nastave i ističu iznimnu motiviranost za usvajanje fizioloških programskih sadržaja primjenom ovog didaktičkog modela

ANALYSIS OF PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE VIEWS OF EVOLUTION OF SERBIAN TEACHERS

International audience– We analysed the potential differences between the conceptions of Serbian pre-service and in-service teachers using controlled parameters such as acceptance of the evolution theory. Our sample includes Primary School teachers as well as Secondary School teachers of Biology and of Language. We show that the ideas of pre-service (PreB) and in-service biology teachers (InB) are more evolutionary than those of their colleagues. In contrast, most creationist responses came from the groups of pre-service language (PreL) and pre-service primary teachers (PreP). The agnostic teachers are more evolutionist than other teachers. The more a teacher believes in God and practices religion, the more creationist he or she is, but a great number of teachers who believe in God are evolutionist or simultaneously evolutionist and creationist. There is a positive correlation between evolutionist answers and the attitude that " Science and religion should be separated " , and " religion and politics should be separated "

Odnos između prihvaćanja i razumijevanja teorije evolucije različitih skupina nastavnika

In this paper a comparison is made among various groups of Serbian teachers (kindergarten teachers, primary school teachers, biologists, physicists, chemists) in terms of the following factors: acceptance and the understanding of evolution theory. In order to accomplish the tasks of this paper, the specific questionnaire model with parallel groups of teachers was applied (involving 341 teachers). The aim was to identify and measure differences in those factors among these large groups of teachers. The results show that biology teachers performed better on accepting and understanding the evolution theory in comparison with other groups of teachers. Also, we determined that there is a positive correlation between the acceptance and understanding the evolution theory for all groups of teachers. The findings indicate a necessity to enhance the evolution teaching contents in the Serbian system of education for groups of teachers who participated in this investigation. Modern teaching processes, at all levels of education, should involve adequate didactically prepared evolution teaching contents and courses.U radu je napravljena usporedba različitih skupina nastavnika iz Srbije (odgajatelji, učitelji, nastavnici biologije, fizike i kemije) u pogledu prihvaćanja i razumijevanje teorije evolucije.Primijenjen je model posebnog upitnika s paralelnim skupinama nastavnika (ukupno 341 nastavnik). Cilj je bio utvrditi i izmjeriti razlike. Rezultati pokazuju da nastavnici biologije pokazuju bolje rezultate u prihvaćanju i razumijevanju teorije evolucije u odnosu na druge skupine nastavnika. Utvrdili smo da postoji pozitivna korelacija između prihvaćanja i razumijevanja teorije evolucije za sve skupine nastavnika.Rezultati pokazuju nužnost poboljšanja nastavnog sadržaja evolucije u obrazovnom sustavu Srbije za skupine nastavnika koji su sudjelovali u istraživanju. Moderna nastava na svim razinama obrazovanja treba uključiti odgovarajuće didaktičkie pripremljene nastavne sadržaje i tečajeve o teoriji evolucije

Apigenin-7-O-glucoside versus apigenin

Bioactive potential of apigenin derivative apigenin-7-O-glucoside related to its antifungal activity on Candida spp. and cytotoxic effect on colon cancer cells was studied and compared with bioactive potential of apigenin. Antifungal activity was tested on 14 different isolates of Candida spp. using membrane permeability assay, measuring inhibition of reactive oxidative species and inhibition of CYP51 C. albicans enzyme. Cytotoxic potential of apigenin-7-O-glucoside was tested on colon cancer HCT116 cells by measuring cell viability, apoptosis rate and apoptosis- and colon cancer-related gene expression. Obtained results indicated considerable antifungal activity of apigenin-7-O-glucoside towards all Candida isolates. Breakdown of C. albicans plasma membrane was achieved upon treatment with apigenin-7-O-glucoside for shorter period of time then with apigenin. Reduction of intra- and extracellular reactive oxidative species was achieved with minimum inhibitory concentrations of both compounds, suggesting that reactive oxidative species inhibition could be a mechanism of antifungal action. None of the compounds exhibited binding affinity to C. albicans CYP51 protein. Besides, apigenin-7-O-glucoside was more effective compared to apigenin in reduction of cell’s viability and induction of cell death of HCT116 cells. Treatment with both compounds resulted in chromatin condensation, apoptotic bodies formation and apoptotic genes expression in HCT116 cells, but the apigenin-7-O-glucoside required a lower concentration to achieve the same effect. Compounds apigenin-7-O-glucoside and apigenin displayed prominent antifungal potential and cytotoxic effect on HCT116 cells. However, our results showed that apigenin-7-O-glucoside has more potent activity compared to apigenin in all assays that we used

Zonation of Ribosomal DNA Transcription Defines a Stem Cell Hierarchy in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancers (CRCs) are composed of an amalgam of cells with distinct genotypes and phenotypes. Here, we reveal a previously unappreciated heterogeneity in the biosynthetic capacities of CRC cells. We discover that the majority of ribosomal DNA transcription and protein synthesis in CRCs occurs in a limited subset of tumor cells that localize in defined niches. The rest of the tumor cells undergo an irreversible loss of their biosynthetic capacities as a consequence of differentiation. Cancer cells within the biosynthetic domains are characterized by elevated levels of the RNA polymerase I subunit A (POLR1A). Genetic ablation of POLR1A-high cell population imposes an irreversible growth arrest on CRCs. We show that elevated biosynthesis defines stemness in both LGR5+ and LGR5− tumor cells. Therefore, a common architecture in CRCs is a simple cell hierarchy based on the differential capacity to transcribe ribosomal DNA and synthesize proteins

Endocytosis and lysosomal degradation of GluA2/3 AMPARs in response to oxygen/glucose deprivation in hippocampal but not cortical neurons

Abstract Global cerebral ischemia results in oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) and consequent delayed cell death of vulnerable neurons, with hippocampal CA1 neurons more vulnerable than cortical neurons. Most AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are heteromeric complexes of subunits GluA1/GluA2 or GluA2/GluA3, and the presence of GluA2 renders AMPARs Ca2+-impermeable. In hippocampal CA1 neurons, OGD causes the synaptic expression of GluA2-lacking Ca2+-permeable AMPARs, contributing to toxic Ca2+ influx. The loss of synaptic GluA2 is caused by rapid trafficking of GluA2-containing AMPARs from the cell surface, followed by a delayed reduction in GluA2 mRNA expression. We show here that OGD causes endocytosis, lysosomal targeting and consequent degradation of GluA2- and GluA3-containing AMPARs, and that PICK1 is required for both OGD-induced GluA2 endocytosis and lysosomal sorting. Our results further suggest that GluA1-containing AMPARs resist OGD-induced endocytosis. OGD does not cause GluA2 endocytosis in cortical neurons, and we show that PICK1 binding to the endocytic adaptor AP2 is enhanced by OGD in hippocampal, but not cortical neurons. We propose that endocytosis of GluA2/3, caused by a hippocampal-specific increase in PICK1-AP2 interactions, followed by PICK1-dependent lysosomal targeting, are critical events in determining changes in AMPAR subunit composition in the response to ischaemia