Factors Affecting Zoo Visitors’ Conservation Beliefs and Knowledge of Large Carnivores in 2009 and a Dozen Years Later

Teaching in a formal learning environment mainly focuses on gaining knowledge, and scarcely on the development of pro-environmental attitudes. Knowledge can also be gained in informal learning institutions, such as zoos, and their potential use in general public education should not be neglected. This paper explores factors influencing the conservation beliefs of zoo visitors about brown bears, grey wolves, and Eurasian lynx. The study undertaken in Zoo Ljubljana (Slovenia) consisted of surveys performed in 2009 (n = 613) and in 2021 (n = 257). The levels of knowledge and education influenced both supporting and opposing beliefs about the three large carnivore species. The gender factor was less uniform: both supporting and opposing beliefs about lynx were demonstrated, but only opposing beliefs about brown bear and wolf. The study indicates that knowledge has the most significant influence on conservation beliefs, thus highlighting the importance of educational and communication activities in management and conservation actions regarding large carnivore species. The varied gender influence suggests that species-specific educational activities should be encouraged.

Sex-Related Factors in Cardiovascular Complications Associated to COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the pandemic infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), presents with an extremely heterogeneous spectrum of symptoms and signs. The clinical manifestations seem to be correlated with disease severity. COVID-19 susceptibility and mortality show a significant sex imbalance, with men being more prone to infection and showing a higher rate of hospitalization and mortality compared to women. Such variability can be ascribed to both sex-related biological factors and gender-related behavioral cues. This review will discuss the potential mechanisms accounting for sex/gender influence in vulnerability to COVID-19. Cardiovascular diseases play a central role in determining COVID-19 outcome, whether they are pre-existent or arose upon infection. We will pay particular attention to the impact of sex and gender on cardiovascular manifestations related to COVID-19. Finally, we will discuss the sex-dependent variability in some biomarkers for the evaluation of COVID-19 infection and prognosis. The aim of this work is to highlight the significance of gendered medicine in setting up personalized programs for COVID-19 prevention, clinical evaluation and treatment.

The Effect of Gender on the Relationship between Critical Thinking and Pattern Recognition: Students’ Perspectives

In this qualitative study, individual interviews were conducted on 11 private school students to seek their opinions about the effect of gender on the relationship between critical thinking and cognitive pattern recognition. The participants, age 16 to 19 inclusive with six males and five females, were students recruited from three private schools in Singapore. All the interviewees have enrolled in the General Certificate of Education (GCE) 'O' level preparatory courses. The interview transcripts were analyzed using Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) Miner software. The majority (64%) of the interviewees agreed that gender influence the relationship between critical thinking and pattern recognition. Two primary themes were identified that affect the effect of gender: the internal character traits of a person and society's influences. Two recommendations were to examine the impact of various internal character traits in more detail and to include interviews from school teachers and administrators to obtain more professional insights.

Science starts early: A literature review examining the influence of early childhood teachers’ perceptions of gender on teaching practices

Women are underrepresented in science fields as compared to men and although much research has been dedicated to understanding this disparity, most has been conducted on older aged children. However, this excludes the youngest and arguably most impressionable group of students: preschoolers. This study reviewed the literature to investigate how early childhood teachers’ perceptions of gender influence their teaching practices. Qualitative analysis and coding of 31 articles resulted in five main categories: Teacher Perception, Curriculum, Teacher Interactions, Gender Identity, and Social Standing. Results are discussed in the context of early childhood science teaching practices to better understand the role of the teacher and gender bias in young children’s preschool science experiences and how it may impact their future science interests.

Gender, formal organizational status and humor use: perceptions of social acceptance

PurposeHumor can be a useful tool in the workplace, but it remains unclear whether humor used by men versus women is perceived similarly due to social role expectations. This paper explored whether female humorists have less social latitude in their use of aggressive and affiliative humor in the workplace. This paper also examined how formal organizational status and the target's gender can impact audience perceptions.Design/methodology/approachTwo scenario-based studies were conducted where participants rated the foolishness of the humorist. For Study 1, participants responded to a scenario with an aggressive, humorous comment. For Study 2, participants responded to a scenario with an affiliative, humorous comment.FindingsResults suggested that high-status female humorists who used aggressive humor with low-status women were viewed as less foolish than low-status female humorists who used aggressive humor with low-status women. Conversely, status did not impact perceptions of male humorists who used aggressive humor with low-status women. Results also indicated that high-status women who used affiliative humor were viewed as less foolish when their humor was directed toward low-status men versus low-status women. Conversely, no differences existed for high-status men who used affiliative humor with low-status men and women.Practical implicationsNarrower social role expectations for women suggest that interpersonal humor can be a riskier strategy for women.Originality/valueThis study suggests that women have less social latitude in their use of humor at work, and that organizational status and target gender influence perceptions of female humorists.

A Corpus-based Study of the Use of Pause Fillers Among British English Speakers

Many people use pause fillers such as um, erm, and er in order to signal to the other person that they have not finished speaking yet. This paper aims to investigate pause fillers and their relationship with the two sociolinguistic variables of age and gender. The data-driven analysis is based on the British National Corpus (BNC). The results show that the sociolinguistic variables of age and gender influence the use of pause fillers among British English speakers, which is proposed to be linked to the advancement of age and an improved fluency among female speakers.

Maximum Voluntary Molar and Incisor Biting Force and Morphological Variables in Subjects With Different Vertical Skeletal Patterns

Objective: To estimate the maximum voluntary molar biting force (MBF) and incisor biting force (IBF) and their relationship to morphological variables in subjects with different vertical skeletal patterns. Materials and Methods: Maximum voluntary MBF, IBF, and morphological variables were recorded in 120 subjects (60 males and 60 females) with skeletal class I pattern in the age range of 14 to 24 years. All subjects were divided into 3 groups: Normodivergent, hypodivergent, and hyperdivergent, according to the maxillomandibular plane angle and Jarabak ratio. Bite force measurements were undertaken using a custom-made portable digital gnathodynamometer on the left and the right sides of the jaw in the molar and incisor regions during maximal clenching. Statistical analysis was performed using independent t-test, chi-square test, and ANOVA test using SPSS version 22.0.0.0 software. Results: MBF and IBF are influenced by gender with higher values obtained for male subjects in all groups in the following order: hypodivergent > normodivergent > hyperdivergent. No significant changes were seen with morphological variables in different groups. Conclusion: Molar and incisor biting forces are highest in hypodivergent subjects and least in hyperdivergent subjects as a reflection of jaw morphology and muscular efficiency. In all groups, males exhibit higher force values than females, underlining a strong gender influence on biting force and facial pattern.