Institut za filozofiju

Most people hold beliefs about personality characteristics typical of members of their own and others' cultures. These perceptions of national character may be generalizations from personal experience, stereotypes with a "kernel of truth," or inaccurate stereotypes. We obtained national character ratings of 3989 people from 49 cultures and compared them with the average personality scores of culture members assessed by observer ratings and self-reports. National character ratings were reliable but did not converge with assessed traits. Perceptions of national character thus appear to be unfounded stereotypes that may serve the function of maintaining a national identity.

Flavonoids constitute a large group of polyphenolic phytochemicals with antioxidant properties which are overwhelmingly exerted through direct free radical scavenging. Flavonoids also exhibit antioxidant properties through chelating with transition metals, primarily Fe(II), Fe(III) and Cu(II), which participate in reactions generating free radicals. Metal-flavonoid chelates are considerably more potent free radical scavengers than the parent flavonoids and play a prominent role in protecting from oxidative stress. To unravel the origin of their potent biological action extensive physico-chemical studies were undertaken to reveal the chemical structure, chelation sites, assess the impact of the metal/ligand ratio on the structure of the complexes and the capacity of flavonoids to bind metal ions. In spite of such extensive efforts, data on the composition, structure and complex-formation properties are incomplete and sometimes even contradictory. The aim of this paper is to give a personal account on the development of the field through a retrospective evaluation of our own research which covers approximately 40 complexes of flavonoids from different flavonoids subclasses (rutin, quercetin, 3-hydroxyflavone, morin and hesperidin) with several metal ions or groups and suggest directions for future research. Special emphasis will be given to the site of the central ion, the composition of the complexes, the role of pH in complex formation, the stability of metal-flavonoid complexes and their potential application for analytical purposes. .

Knjiga Violent borders: refugees and the right to move predstavlja obvezno branje za vse, ki se raziskovalno ukvarjajo s problematiko selitev in migracijskih politik. Zanimiva pa je tudi za širšo javnost. Tako imenovana begunska kriza je v Sloveniji, podobno kot drugod v Evropi, sprožila burno razpravo o selitvah in migrantih. V javnem diskurzu je prevladalo stališče, da begunci/migranti predstavljajo grožnjo, ki jo je treba ustaviti z okrepljenim nadzorom nad mejami in omejitvijo priseljevanja. Knjiga Violent borders nam z umestitvijo selitev v širši kontekst ponuja drugačen pogled in predlaga popolnoma drugačen pristop k reševanju problema.

Contemporary organizational psychology very often lakes problem of organizational stress as one of its subjects. It is a phenomenon with which almost every profession must deals, but some of them are more exposed to its jeopardizing influences. For some professions stress is part of almost every work aspect. Nevertheless, it is usual to connect stress with the problem of conflicts. The importance of studying stress is especially actualized in situations of social and economics crisis that are characteristic for modem age and our environment. This paperwork is an attempt to give a theoretical explanation of work stress through identification and systematization of sources of stressias it is an attempt to describe far-reaching and complexity of its consequences on person and organization. Also, there is an idea to show methods that can be sued for managing stress, through organizational measures, or through techniques for individual coping with stress. We started from the hypothesis that it is possible to look for sources of organizational stress in organization itself, connected with the nature of work, organizational role that one has, in the degree of his responsibility, work relations, dynamics and psychological climate in organization, and if factors outside the organization (in family, life difficulties, personal conflicts). The consequences of stress can be seen on the level of physiological and psychological interruptions, and on the level of organizational problems. Consequently, on one side the importance of adequate professional selection and education, and adequate organizational culture is seen as important measure for stress prevention, and there us an emphasizing of personal techniques for protecting, mitigation and recovering of the stress, on the other side.

Summary- There is a high level of agreement among theoreticians today on the basic content of the defi nition of communicative competence. However, it has been often pointed out in the literature on language testing that before undertaking research on communicative competence it is essential to examine and clearly determine the construct of communicative competence, namely, to formulate a defi nition which will enable a simple operationalization of that construct. This paper presents in brief the process of defi ning communicative competence which started in the late 1960s. Several important defi nitions and models of communicative competence are presented in two separate sections. On the basis of these defi nitions and models, there is a discussion in the fi nal section on the manner of defi ning communicative competence which is relevant for the scientifi c research project «English in Croatia». Key words: communicative competence, defi nition of communicative

Knjiga Violent borders: refugees and the right to move predstavlja obvezno branje za vse, ki se raziskovalno ukvarjajo s problematiko selitev in migracijskih politik. Zanimiva pa je tudi za širšo javnost. Tako imenovana begunska kriza je v Sloveniji, podobno kot drugod v Evropi, sprožila burno razpravo o selitvah in migrantih. V javnem diskurzu je prevladalo stališče, da begunci/migranti predstavljajo grožnjo, ki jo je treba ustaviti z okrepljenim nadzorom nad mejami in omejitvijo priseljevanja. Knjiga Violent borders nam z umestitvijo selitev v širši kontekst ponuja drugačen pogled in predlaga popolnoma drugačen pristop k reševanju problema.

The kinetics of pre-mRNA processing in living cells is poorly known, preventing a detailed analysis of the regulation of these reactions. Using tetracycline-regulated promoters we performed, during a transcriptional induction, a complete analysis of the maturation of two cellular mRNAs, those for LT-alpha and beta-globin. In both cases, splicing was appropriately described by first-order reactions with corresponding half-lives ranging between 0.4 and 7.5 min, depending on the intron. Transport also behaved as a first-order reaction during the early phase of beta-globin expression, with a nuclear dwelling time of 4 min. At a later time, analysis was prevented by the progressive accumulation within the nucleus of mature mRNA not directly involved in export. Our results further establish for these genes that (i) splicing components are never limiting, even when expression is induced in naive cells, (ii) there is no significant RNA degradation during splicing and transport, and (iii) precursor-to-product ratios at steady state can be used for the determination of splicing rates. Finally, the comparison between the kinetics of splicing during transcriptional induction and during transcriptional shutoff reveals a novel coupling between transcription and splicing.

Hydrolates, also referred to as hydrosols, floral or distillate waters, as well as aromatic waters, are produced in the same isolation process with essential oils by steam distillation. A small amount of essential oil constituents is dissolved in hydrolates providing specific organoleptic properties and flavor, as well as biological activity which makes them useful as raw material in many industries. Their popularity is still on the rise, especially in aromatherapy. The objective in this review is to analyze the chemical compositions of hydrolates and their corresponding essential oils, as well as biological activity of hydrolates (antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiinflamatory) and potential uses, not only in food industry for flavoring, and preservation of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, but also as functional (soft) drinks. However, hydrolates can be used in aromatherapy and cosmetics, as well as in organic agriculture and aquaculture.

GREEN, WILLIAM T. M.D.; BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS; M. WYATT, CAPTAIN GEORGE; ANDERSON, MARGARET M.S.; N, BOSTO MASSACHUSETTS Author Information

In this paper, Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved (1987) will be considered from the point of view of developmental psychology. Morrison’s works can be seen as representing an intertwinement of social, historico-political and emotional themes which play a crucial role in the identity construction of the author’s characters. Therefore, the Ecological Systems Theory proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner will be employed to closely examine how the identities of Morrison’s characters are being shaped in the novel. The usage of the five systems on which Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model is based – chronosystem, macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem and microsystem – will provide an often missing holistic approach necessary for better understanding of how and why Morrison’s characters are (un)able to complete their developmental journey of identity construction successfully.

This study investigated whether self-esteem precedes various academic behaviors and beliefs among 593 high school students (63.7% female, 60.9% African American). Measures of home and school self-esteem, grade point average, perceived academic standing and progress, and educational plans were collected by survey and archival review of grade and attendance records at the beginning (pre-test) and end of the school year (post-test). Self-esteem and academic variables differed by gender, race, and guardianship. Self-esteem related significantly to academics and absenteeism. Results suggest selected academic variables predict self-esteem even when the effects of gender, race, and guardianship are removed and pretest self-esteem scores are controlled. In conclusion, student academic performance influences subsequent academic and home self-esteem. Creation of positive academic experiences for youth may be a critical activity, since experts contend that low self-esteem is associated with subsequent behavioral problems. The markedly lower self-esteem of Native American and Hispanic youth warrants further investigation.

Synopsis Field experiments with different crops in Nebraska often have shown a low efficiency of surface applied N fertilizer, especially when broadcasting was done in the fall. As partial explanation, laboratory and greenhouse studies of this problem showed substantial ammonia evolution from fertilized soil particularly with neutral to alkaline soil reaction, with surface application of the fertilizer and with limited moisture. Losses were greatest with urea and urea‐containing materials among the N salts studied. A surface residue accentuated ammonia volatilization, especially with N solution containing urea.

Primljeno: 2. 5

The paper deals with the most important contributions in studying cultural influences on organizations. The interest of social scientists in this topic began in the 1960s, based on the belief that it was necessary to overcome the dominant parochialism of US researchers in organizational theory and practice. Increasing internationalization of business activities, especially in the 1970s, imposed the need for large-scale studies and for finding practical solutions to the completely new problems encountered by multicultural organizations whose number was constantly rising. In spite of numerous and serious difficulties in every cross-cultural organizational study, several decades of development in this field have produced important theoretical and empirical contributions, enabling further advances in this scientific and practical discipline.

Urediti zbornik na takó izmuzljivo temo, kot je »modernizem v glasbi«, je precej zahtevna naloga, ki sta ji bila urednika Björn Heile in Charles Wilson več kot kos z delom The Routledge Research Companion to Modernism in Music. Še zmeraj pertinenten pojem, o katerem se v muzikoloških praksah pogosto razpravlja, sta urednika predstavila kot kompleksno tonsko lestvico perspektiv in vprašanj, ki »nenehno terja teoretsko podlago za svoj obstoj.« (str. 3) Avtorja spretno nakažeta na plejado glasov, zbranih v tem zborniku, pri čemer pojasnjujeta razlike med »modernizmom v glasbi« kot »splošnim kulturnim in umetniškim pojavom«, »modernistično glasbo« z »modernističnimi atributi ali modernističnimi vidiki v glasbi, pri katerih pa se vendarle zaustavimo, predem bi jih označili kot modernistične« in označbo »glasbeni modernizem« za vse pojave, ki sodijo nekako med oba termina.« (str. 4) Koristna diferenciacija teoretičnega okvira sopostavlja prakse, ki se nanašajo na pojav z dvoumnimi pomeni in časovnimi spremenljivkami (npr. »nedavno« ali »pravkar«), kot tudi z metodološkimi (npr. »modus«). Na hitro bi lahko dejali, da avtorja avtoritativno obravnavata koncept, ki »nenehno terja teoretsko podlago za svoj obstoj.« (str. 3)

Knjiga Violent borders: refugees and the right to move predstavlja obvezno branje za vse, ki se raziskovalno ukvarjajo s problematiko selitev in migracijskih politik. Zanimiva pa je tudi za širšo javnost. Tako imenovana begunska kriza je v Sloveniji, podobno kot drugod v Evropi, sprožila burno razpravo o selitvah in migrantih. V javnem diskurzu je prevladalo stališče, da begunci/migranti predstavljajo grožnjo, ki jo je treba ustaviti z okrepljenim nadzorom nad mejami in omejitvijo priseljevanja. Knjiga Violent borders nam z umestitvijo selitev v širši kontekst ponuja drugačen pogled in predlaga popolnoma drugačen pristop k reševanju problema.

The radiological risk due to the presence of natural and man-made radionuclides in beach sands from several renowned seaside and riverbank public beaches was estimated in this study. The exposure levels to terrestrial radiation of the beaches were determined, as well as hazards due to human use of the analyzed sands in industry and in building constructions. Specific radionuclides concentrations in the sand samples were determined by standard gamma-spectrometry. The corresponding radiation hazards arising due to the use of sand as a building material were estimated by three different radiological hazard indices. The total absorbed gamma dose rate in the air was determined and the corresponding annual effective dose outdoors was estimated. The obtained data are relevant both from human health and environmental monitoring aspects.

In this study, volatile compounds were analyzed in five samples of home-made spirit beverage made by the distillation of fermented fruits of cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.). The major volatile compounds, besides ethanol, identified and quantified were: methanol, acetaldehyde, 1-propanol, ethyl acetate, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 1-butanol, amyl alcohols, 1-hexanol and 2-phenylethanol. The minor volatiles were submitted to liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane and analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/ /mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A total of 84 compounds were identified. The most abundant compounds were straight-chain free fatty acids, ethyl esters of C6-C18 acids, limonene, 2-phenylethanol and 4-ethylphenol. Most of the compounds found in the 'Drenja' spirits investigated in this study are similar to those present in other alcoholic beverages.

BACKGROUND: Late-onset GM2 gangliosidosis (LGG) is a rare disease that is often considered in the differential diagnosis of adolescents and young adults who present with multiple realms of neurologic dysfunction. Cognitive disturbances are common but have not been systematically studied. OBJECTIVE: To determine the natural history of cognitive dysfunction in patients with LGG. DESIGN: Case series and literature review. SETTING: Urban tertiary referral clinic. PATIENTS: Individuals with hexosaminidase A deficiency as the origin of LGG. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cognitive dysfunction, psychiatric symptoms, and cerebellar, upper motor neuron, lower motor neuron, or extrapyramidal symptoms and signs. RESULTS: Historical and examination data from 62 patients were found. Forty-four percent of LGG patients had some degree of cognitive dysfunction. Cognitive dysfunction was associated with a greater number of other elemental neurologic deficits. In 21 patients with acceptable longitudinal information, 8 (38%) had a static cognitive disorder, whereas progressive dementia was evident in 13 patients (62%), including 2 of our cases with serial neuropsychological testing. Neuroimaging often showed nonspecific cerebellar and/or cerebral atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive dysfunction is a frequent manifestation of LGG. Patients who experience cognitive dysfunction are more likely to have a greater number of other neurologic manifestations of the disease. Cognitive dysfunction may take the form of static encephalopathy, but progressive dementia is more often encountered. The pathogenesis of cognitive dysfunction in this disease is unknown, highlighting the need for further study.

The present study explored whether participants can be classified into groups according to their intrinsic and extrinsic life goals and how these groups differ in satisfaction of basic psychological needs and well-being. Four questionnaires were administered to 835 college students: Aspiration Index (Kasser and Ryan, 1996), The Basic Psychological Needs Scale K-Means cluster analysis was used to classify individuals on the basis of their life aspirations: importance, present attainment and likelihood of future attainment. The same four-cluster solution was obtained for all three measures. The first cluster included individuals high on extrinsic and low on intrinsic life goals. The second contained students high on intrinsic and low on extrinsic aspirations. The third group included students with high scores on both intrinsic and extrinsic goals, and the fourth those with low scores on both kinds of goals. The group with high scores on both intrinsic and extrinsic goals had the highest scores on measures of well-being, followed by the group with high intrinsic and low extrinsic aspirations. These two groups had also higher values for all basic psychological needs compared to groups with low scores on intrinsic values. These findings suggest that both intrinsic and extrinsic goals can contribute to well-being.