Somatotype profile of a special police unit / Perfil de somatotipo de una unidad especial de policía

The purpose of this research was to investigate the somatotype characteristics police special units to give us a better idea about requirements of body composition and somatotype for training or/and selection process of new candidates. Therefore, an anthropometric analysis was conducted on 17 male members of Slovenian special police unit with mean age 31.12 ± 5.61 years, body height 179.46 ± 5.36 cm and body weight 79.84 ± 6.16 kg. They were assessed with anthropometric variables in accordance with ISAK. The following measurements were taken: upper arm circumference, flexed upper arm circumference, forearm circumference, thigh circumference, mid-thigh circumference, calf circumference, shoulder width, pelvic width, elbow diameter, wrist diameter, knee diameter, ankle diameter, sub scapular skin fold, triceps skin fold, biceps skin fold, forearm skin fold, abdomen skin fold, chest skin fold, supraspinale skin fold, thigh skin fold and calf skin fold. Also, the bioelectrical impedance TANITA TBF-105 was used for measurements of body weight, body mass index, lean body mass, the percentage of fat mass, absolute fat mass and the percentage of body water were measured. Somatotype components and the position in the somatoplot was calculated with the Somatotype 1.2.5. software. The values found in this study indicate a significant importance of mesomorph component for police special units and their nature of work with dominance of balanced mesomorph somatotype (2.59-6.49-1.98).

El propósito de este estudio fue investigar las características especiales del somatotipo de unidades especiales de la policía para otorgar una mejor idea acerca de los requisitos de la composición corporal y el somatotipo para el entrenamiento y el proceso de selección de los nuevos candidatos. Por lo tanto, se realizó un análisis antropométrico en 17 miembros masculinos de la unidad especial de la policía Eslovena con una edad media de 31,12±5,61 años, altura corporal 179,46±5,36 cm y peso corporal 79,84±6,16 kg. Fueron evaluados con variables antropométricas de acuerdo con ISAK. Se tomaron las siguientes medidas: circunferencia del brazo, circunferencia del brazo flexionado, circunferencia del muslo, circunferencia media del muslo, circunferencia de la pantorrilla, ancho del hombro, ancho de la pelvis, diámetro del codo, diámetro de la muñeca, diámetro de la rodilla, diámetro del tobillo, doblez de la piel subescapular, doblez de la piel del tríceps, doblez de la piel del bíceps, doblez de la piel del antebrazo, doblez de la piel del abdomen, doblez de la piel del tórax, doblez de la piel supraespinal, doblez de la piel del muslo y doblez de la piel de la pantorrilla. Además, la impedancia bioeléctrica TANITA TBF-105 se utilizó para realizar las siguientes mediciones: peso corporal, índice de masa corporal, masa corporal magra, porcentaje de masa grasa, masa grasa absoluta y el porcentaje de agua corporal. Los componentes del somatotipo y la posición en el somatoplot se calcularon con el Software Somatotype 1.2.5. Los valores encontrados en este estudio indican una importancia significativa del componente mesomorfo para las unidades especiales de la policía y su naturaleza de trabajo con el dominio del somatotipo mesomorfo balanceado (2,59-6,49-1,98).

Some indicators of fatness and motor fitness in Slovenian and Serbian children / Algunos indicadores de obesidad y aptitud motriz en niños eslovenos y serbios

The purpose of this study was to identify sex and age specific differences in fatness and motor fitness levels of children in two western Balkan countries in south-eastern Europe: Slovenia and Serbia. The sample consisted of 1,659 subjects of both sexes, aged from 9 to 15 years. Body height, body mass, triceps skinfold thickness, bent arm hang and standing long jump were used in the analysis. Ordinal regression was used to test differences in body mass index (BMI) categories among the countries. MANOVA was used to test the differences in motor fitness level. There were statistically significant (p<0.001) differences between the countries for the entire set of tested variables. Boys and girls from both countries had similar body height, body mass and BMI, yet Slovenians had smaller triceps skinfold thickness. Children from both countries were superior in standing long jump compared to their counterparts elsewhere in Europe. However, Slovenian boys and girls performed better than Serbian ones in both performed motor tests. Differences between countries in motor tests results were larger at age 9 than at age 14. Apparent trend was detected: with similar morphological characteristics, Slovenian children, especially girls, are physically fitter than Serbian ones. Sex is the only significant parameter (p<0.001) of classifying into a BMI category. Boys have an approximate odds ratio of 1.75 for passing into a higher BMI category as girls. Among girls, the differences between countries were greater since the prevalence of overweight and obese girls in Slovenia decreases with age, while the reverse trend is observed in Serbia.

El propósito de este estudio fue identificar las diferencias específicas de sexo y edad en la aptitud y niveles de condición física en niños de dos países de los Balcanes occidentales en el sudeste de Europa: Eslovenia y Serbia. La muestra consistió en 1.659 sujetos de ambos sexos, con edades entre los 9 y 15 años. Para el análisis se utilizaron la altura corporal, masa corporal, espesor del pliegue cutáneo del tríceps, brazo doblado al colgar y de pie en salto largo. Se utilizó la regresión ordinal para probar las diferencias en el índice de masa corporal (IMC) categorías entre los países. El análisis MANOVA fue utilizado para probar las diferencias en el nivel de condición motriz física. El conjunto de variables analizadas (p<0,001) entre los países no fueron estadísticamente significativas. Los niños y niñas de ambos países tenían similar altura y masa corporal e IMC, pero en los eslovenos los pliegues cutáneos del triceps más pequeños. Los niños de ambos países fueron superiores en salto largo en comparación con sus homólogos de otras partes de Europa. Sin embargo, los niños y las niñas eslovenos obtuvieron mejores resultados que los serbios en ambas pruebas de motricidad. Las diferencias en los resultados de las pruebas de motricidad entre los países fueron mayores a los 9 años de edad, a los 14 años se detectó una tendencia aparente: con características morfológicas similares, los niños eslovenos, particularmente las niñas, se encontraban en mejores condiciones físicas que los niños serbios. El sexo es el único parámetro significativo (p<0,001) de clasificar en una categoría de IMC. Los niños tienen una probabilidad promedio aproximada de 1,75 para pasar a una categoría superior IMC tal como las niñas. Entre las niñas, las diferencias entre los países eran mayores, ya que la prevalencia de las niñas con sobrepeso y obesidad en Eslovenia disminuyen con la edad, mientras que se observó una tendencia inversa en Serbia.

Knowledge about and acceptance of genetically modified organisms among pre-service teachers: a comparative study of turkey and Slovenia

Genetically modified organisms cannot be regarded as merely a topic for academic debate, since these have serious implications as a research field and for production based on genetic engineering. Public debates rarely base their arguments on elements rooted in scientific arguments and knowledge but are heavily loaded with emotions, opinions and informal reasoning. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and acceptance of genetically modified organisms among prospective teachers in Slovenia and Turkey. Knowledge of genetic modification was measured with a two-tier instrument. The level of acceptance of genetic modification was measured with a 17-item instrument. Findings revealed that knowledge of genetics and biotechnology barely influenced the acceptability of genetic modification, and correlations are low. The relationship between knowledge and acceptance was not significant among Slovenian students and while significant for the Turkish or combined groups, the r values were only 0.179 and 0.244. It was found that differences in the acceptability of clusters of different kinds of genetically modified organisms do exist between the two countries. In both countries, participants recognized microorganisms and plants that produce something useful as the most acceptable organisms, while at the other end were animals used for consumption or as donors of organs. Practical implications for teaching are discussed and implications for further studies are drawn.

The relationship among knowledge of, attitudes toward and acceptance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) among Slovenian teachers / La relación entre el conocimiento y actitudes en la aceptación sobre organismos genéticamente modificados (OGM) entre profesores eslovenos

The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge about, opinions on and attitudes toward and finally readiness to accept genetically modified organisms (GMO) among Slovenian teachers. On average, they have higher levels of knowledge in classical genetics, and poor levels of knowledge about modern issues in biotechnology, and their attitudes toward GMOs are not extreme. They make decisions based on the acceptability of a particular GMO and not on GMOs in general, following two patterns: genetic modifications (GM) microorganisms and plants are more acceptable than animals, and GMOs are more acceptable if they can not be used directly for consumption and produce something recognized as useful. The relationship among knowledge of, attitudes towards and readiness to accept GMO showed that there is no correlation between knowledge and attitudes, only a weak correlation between knowledge and acceptance, and a solid correlation between attitudes and readiness to accept GMO. The practical implication of our findings is that acceptance of GMOs will not be changed by providing new technical or scientific information to teachers but by changing attitudes. The appropriate strategies and actions for improving university courses in biotechnology and the implication for classroom science activities and future research are discussed.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies among patients suspected of ocular toxocariasis in Slovenia

Ocular toxocariasis named also ocular larva migrans is caused by larvae of the roundworm Toxocara spp. The purpose of this study was to find out the seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies in patients suspected of ocular toxocariasis. Between January 2001 and December 2003, sera from 239 ocular patients, aged 3 to 80 years, were examined by ELISA and confirmed by Western blot test. Out of the 239 patients, 172 (72%) were seronegative and 67 (28%) were Toxocara seropositive; 95% CI (22-34%). The median age of Toxocara seropositive patients was 37.6 years. There was no significant difference in the number of Toxocara positive sera between the younger age group ( 14 years), p > 0.05. A high rate of Toxocara seropositivity in ocular patients should alert the ophthalmologists in Slovenia to include toxocariasis in the differential diagnosis of eye diseases more frequently.