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Since most medicinal mushrooms are rare in nature, artificial cultivation and farming of their fruiting bodies as well as biotechnological cultivation of their fungal biomass in bioreactors on solid substrates and in liquid media has been established. This review compares the benefits and weaknesses of all three capabilities. Cultivation technologies are presented, including traditional cultivation via farming of fruiting bodies on wood logs and on sawdust-based substrates and modern biotechnological cultivation of mycelia in bioreactors by submerged and solid-state cultivation technologies. Our findings indicate that farming is cost-effective but large-scale production is time-consuming. In addition, solid-state cultivation is a comprehensive well-controlled technology that is close to the natural growth process and is suitable for veterinary use and use in food supplements. Finally, submerged liquid-state cultivation of mushroom mycelia is fast and well controlled.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, effective use of information and communication technology (ICT), access to data sources, and critical evaluation of new information were essential for successful distance learning. University students need both information literacy (IL) and scientific literacy (SL) to learn and conduct research. This study examined the level of IL of 561 undergraduate and graduate students. We investigated the impact of scientific literacy (SL), ICT use, psychological/learning characteristics, and demographic parameters on student IL. The effects of a credit-bearing IL course were studied on 151 students, comparing three teaching methods. The average IL test performance of 67.6% did not differ significantly by student gender or natural/social science orientation. Of the IL topics, students were least proficient in legal/ethical issues, followed by information searching. Students’ knowledge of IL and SL was comparable and decreased with cognitive level. While ownership of ICT devices and ICT-rich courses had no effect on the level of IL, confidence in using the Internet correlated significantly with IL. Also, IL correlated positively with students’ self-concepts about learning and problem-solving, as well as their self-efficacy, but motivation played a smaller role. The credit-bearing IL study course was most effective when active learning methods were used.

Self-regulated learning (SRL) plays an important role in successful learning with hypertexts. The use of appropriate SRL strategies helps students acquire new knowledge more efficiently. We investigated the use of SRL strategies in individual learning from expository science hypertext, the correlations between different measures of self-regulation, and the differences in SRL between more and less successful students. A sample of 443 ninth graders from 15 different schools participated in the study. A variety of off- and online measures were used to measure SRL. Data were collected from student traces, questionnaires, tests scores, and notes. Low correlations between the off- and online measures of SRL suggest that they measure different aspects of SRL use in learning digital science texts. Student achievement in science positively correlated with their use of SRL strategies. Students with higher knowledge gains reported the higher use of deep cognitive strategies, higher motivation for learning, and used a higher number of strategies in note-taking while learning. The results of this study may have practical implications for teachers to support student SRL and for developers of digital learning materials to incorporate SRL scaffolding into learning topics.

Since most of the medicinal mushrooms are rare in nature, production of fungal fruiting bodies is hardly covering the food market and the production of pharmaceutically active products, so artificial cultivation of fruiting bodies in a form of farming has been intensively established during the last 40 years. Various cultivation technologies are presented, including traditional farming of fruiting bodies on wood logs and beds, and also on other substrate-based media, such as cultivation in bags, bottles, and others. The advantage of farming is a cheap but time-consuming large-scale production. Agriculture, wood, and food industry wastes represent the main substrates that are in this process delignified and enriched in proteins and highly valuable pharmaceutically active compounds. The present article presents an overview of achievements in artificial cultivation of fruiting bodies, including the most relevant medicinal mushroom species, such as Ganoderma lucidum, Grifola frondosa, Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus brasiliensis, and Lentinula edodes.

The paper presents a study in which 54 university students were introduced to a newly developed, free, web-based 3DChemMol molecular editor with a toolbar, which they then evaluated. The tool aims to increase representational competence related to submicroscopic representations. Students who used the software for the first time, were instructed to create molecular models using the model building/editing tools in three activities with varying levels of difficulty: 1) building a simple model (butanoic acid), 2) converting one model (hexane) into two models, 3) converting from a non-cyclic to a cyclic structure (glucose). It took students from two up to 15 minutes to accomplish each of the activities. Several types of help were available in the 3DChemMol molecular editor toolbar to assist students during their activities, including a video tutorial, button hovering, action status display, and a help menu. Undo/redo and restart options were also available. Students' completion level, difficulties, and use of the help features were investigated using student self-evaluation questionnaires. The 3DChemMol molecular editor proved to be a useful support for students in completing simple chemistry activities. Students were successful in model building, although they encountered some specific difficulties, especially in steps that involved spatial operations, such as rotating the selected part of molecule around the bond. In students' perception, the video tutorials were the preferred and most frequently used type of help, and the undo function was considered essential. The results suggest that the 3DChemMol molecular editor can be used effectively in introductory chemistry courses at the tertiary level, whether for direct instruction, self-study, or other forms of support in the pedagogical process. The results and new findings of this study will be used to further optimize the interface in future versions of the evaluated tool.

E-gradiva in e-učbeniki si počasi utirajo pot v naše šole. Njihov pravi pomen se je pokazal tudi ob zadnji epidemiji, ko so bile šole zaprte, učenci pa večkrat prepuščeni sami sebi in angažiranosti svojih staršev. Za uspešno učenje z uporabo e-gradiv mora učenec uporabiti primerne strategije samoregulacije učenja, ki mu omogočajo, da doseže zastavljene učne cilje. Učencem s slabše razvitimi samoregulacijskimi spretnostmi lahko pri učenju pomaga umestitev učnih opor med vsebino obravnavane snovi. V članku je predstavljena pilotna raziskava na vzorcu 91 devetošolcev, v kateri smo preverjali delovanje učnih opor. V ta namen smo razvili e-učno okolje za prikaz učne enote z vstavljenimi različnimi vrstami učnih opor (kognitivne, metakognitivne in motivacijske), ki omogoča tudi beleženje aktivnosti učenca. Rezultati so pokazali, da so po ocenah učencev najboljša pomoč pri učenju kognitivne opore.

The study represents the first retrospective bibliometric analysis and mapping of the IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (IEEE TVCG), one of the leading journals in the field ...

The aim was to assess the information literacy (IL) of 310 first- and second-year students enrolled in nine different study programs at the School of Agriculture (Faculty of Agriculture), Novi Sad, Serbia, using an adapted version of a validated IL test (ILT) in an e-environment. Because the school does not provide systematic IL education, another purpose was to raise awareness of the importance of such instruction. ILT results were assessed according to five ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) standards, as well as three cognitive levels adapted from Bloom's taxonomy. The mean ILT score was 46.35%. Students were most successful in information evaluation and information need identification, and least successful in legal/ethical issues and information use. As expected, IL skills increase from the first to second year of study. Cognitive skills also increase, except for the highest level (applying knowledge), where all student groups are weak. Different study programs attract students with disparate knowledge/skill levels gained during secondary education, where some groups of first-year students may outperform second-year students in both IL and cognitive abilities. It is thus important to offer IL education to all students in order to provide a basis for more balanced academic progress.

Reversible colour change of leuco dye-based composites is in general closely related to their phase change, thus the two phenomena should occur at around the same temperature and should be influenced similarly. However, spatial confinement of the analysed sample affects the change in colour differently compared to its phase transition and the most pronounced effects can be observed during cooling. The bulk composite is coloured while still liquid and the colour hysteresis does not exhibit a loop. In an open-porous medium the colouration coincides well with the crystallization and the colour hysteresis widens to about 4 °C. Microencapsulated composite exhibits two crystallization processes, one of them taking place at the bulk crystallization temperature and the other one at about 20 °C lower. Under such conditions the composite is coloured just before the onset of the second crystallization, i.e. about 15 °C below crystallization in the bulk, and the corresponding colour hysteresis widens to 18 °C. The two crystallization forms are thermally independent and have the same crystalline structure. These effects should be taken into account when designing future applications where the phase-changing materials are implemented.

The review provides an overview of research findings on microencapsulation for functional textile coatings. Methods for the preparation of microcapsules in textiles include in situ and interfacial polymerization, simple and complex coacervation, molecular inclusion and solvent evaporation from emulsions. Binders play a crucial role in coating formulations. Acrylic and polyurethane binders are commonly used in textile finishing, while organic acids and catalysts can be used for chemical grafting as crosslinkers between microcapsules and cotton fibres. Most of the conventional coating processes can be used for microcapsule-containing coatings, provided that the properties of the microcapsules are appropriate. There are standardised test methods available to evaluate the characteristics and washfastness of coated textiles. Among the functional textiles, the field of environmentally friendly biodegradable textiles with microcapsules is still at an early stage of development. So far, some physicochemical and physical microencapsulation methods using natural polymers or biodegradable synthetic polymers have been applied to produce environmentally friendly antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory or fragranced textiles. Standardised test methods for evaluating the biodegradability of textile materials are available. The stability of biodegradable microcapsules and the durability of coatings during the use and care of textiles still present several challenges that offer many opportunities for further research.

Basidiomycetes of various species and their wide range of pharmaceuticaly interesting products in the past decades represents one of the most attractive groups of natural products in Asia and North America. Production of mushroom fruit bodies using farming technology is hardly covering the market. Development of comprehensive submerged technologies in stirred tank and air lift bioreactors are the most promising technologies for fast and large-amount cultivation of medicinal mushroom biomass and its pharmaceutically active products. Research in physiology, basic and applied studies in mushroom metabolism, process engineering aspects, and clinical studies in the past two decades represent a large cotribution to the development of this potential, which initiates the development of new drugs and some very attractive over-the-counter human and veterinary remedies. The current article is an overview of the most relevant engineering achievements in submerged cultivation of some medicinal mushrooms-Grifola frondosa, Trametes versicolor, Hericium erinaceus, and Cordyceps militaris-and some other species biomass production in bioreactors.

Essential oils are environmentally friendly candidates for antimicrobial smart packaging systems. Encapsulation is needed to reduce their volatility and achieve controlled release. Within this study, the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus (citronella oil) was microencapsulated and applied in pressure-sensitive antimicrobial functional coatings on papers for secondary packaging. Two microencapsulation methods were used: complex coacervation of gelatine with carboxymethylcellulose or with gum arabic, and in situ polymerization of melamine-formaldehyde prepolymers with a polyacrylic acid modifier. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of citronella oil microcapsules were determined for Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Escherichia coli (B. subtilis), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae). Microcapsule suspensions were coated on papers for flexible packaging, 2 and 30 g/m2, and mechanically activated in the weight pulling test. A novel method on agar plates in sealed Petri dishes was developed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of released citronella vapours on E. coli and S. cerevisiae. The results showed that both microencapsulation methods were successful and resulted in a container type single-core microcapsules. In situ microcapsule suspensions had better paper coating properties and were selected for industrial settings. The antimicrobial activity of 2 g/m2 coatings was not detected, however, the antimicrobial activity of 30 g/m2 partially activated coated papers was confirmed. The product enabled a prolonged use with the gradual release of citronella oil at multiple exposures of functional papers to pressure, e.g., by a human hand during product handling.

The Ganoderma lucidum wood-degrading basidiomycete, with its large complex of pharmacological effects, is the most outstanding and influential medicinal mushroom in Far East traditional medicine. In the past 2 decades, the fundamentals of submerged cultivation of G. lucidum mycelia in bioreactors has been established. Development of comprehensive submerged cultivations in stirred tank and air lift bioreactors are the most promising technologies. This article provides an engineering overview of the achievements in submerged technology of G. lucidum biomass production in bioreactors.

The study explored the differences in information literacy (IL) and related characteristics of freshmen majoring in chemical education. 126 students were divided into two groups, based on the results of an IL test: the IL stronger and the IL weaker group. Students also took surveys on ICT use, Internet confidence and motivation. Results showed a 20% mean difference in the overall IL score, with the IL weaker group being significantly less successful in over half of the IL test items, and having the biggest knowledge gap in information searching and ethics issues, when compared to the IL stronger group. The biggest cognitive divide occurred on the level of understanding. The groups did not differ much in overall ICT use, but the IL stronger group was significantly more confident when using the Internet. The motivation levels were similar, except for the controlled external motivation, in which the IL weaker group scored higher.

Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are one of the biggest challenges in European ecosystems, displacing local vegetation, destroying agricultural land, and causing billions of dollars of damage to the European economy every year. Many of them are removed daily and mainly burned. In this work, we investigated the possibilities of using plants as feedstock for paper production. Papers made from three invasive alien plants, i.e., Knotweed, Goldenrod, and Black locust, were studied and compared with commercial office paper. The study included testing of: (1) structural properties—basic physical properties, grammage, thickness, density and specific volume, moisture content, and ash content, (2) physical and dynamic mechanical properties—tensile strength, Clark stiffness, viscoelastic properties, (3) colorimetric properties of prints, (4) effect of UV light on ageing, and (5) study of cellulose fiber structure and morphology by microscopy. The results suggested that the paper produced can be used as commercial office paper, considering that the paper is slightly dyed. Such papers can also be used for special purposes that present a natural style and connection to nature. The papers produced can also be used for printing documents that are meant to be kept.

Digital natives are assumed to possess knowledge and skills that allow them to handle information and communication technologies (ICT) tools in a 'natural' way. Accordingly, this calls for the application of different teaching/learning strategies in education. The purpose of the study was to test the predictive strength of some attributes of digital nativeness (ICT ownership, ICT experiences, internet confidence and number of ICT-rich university courses) on the information literacy (IL) of 299 Slovenian university students. Correlation and regression analysis based on survey data revealed that the attributes of digital natives are poor predictors of IL. The principal findings are: ICT experiences expressed as the sum of the use of different applications do not necessarily contribute to IL; some applications have a positive and some a negative effect; personal ownership of smartphones, portable computers and desktop computers has no direct effect on IL, while ownership of a tablet computer is actually a negative predictor; personal ownership of ICT devices has an impact on ICT experiences and Internet confidence, and, therefore, an indirect impact on IL; and ICT-rich university courses (if not designed to cultivate IL) have only a marginal impact on IL, although they may have some impact on ICT experiences and Internet confidence. The overall conclusion is that digital natives are not necessarily information literate, and that IL should be promoted with hands-on and minds-on courses based on IL standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information literacy (IL) education in secondary schools should adequately prepare students for research activities in higher education and guide them toward becoming informed and responsible citizens. The existing international IL frameworks and tests are only partially aligned with the IL curricula in Slovenia. Therefore, a new IL framework for secondary education, consisting of seven IL standards and twenty performance indicators, was proposed together with two new assessment instruments (e.g. a multiple choice test and a self-evaluation questionnaire). Two groups of students were tested, namely first-year secondary students and first-year university students. The latter, before taking any university IL courses, were found to be more successful in all subject areas of the test, which could inter alia indicate a positive influence of secondary education on IL. Both student groups were the weakest in information search, followed by information evaluation and knowledge of legal/ethical issues. Secondary school students were less aware of their deficient search skills. The item analysis emphasized the need to put more educational efforts and practical examples into the teaching of IL topics where both groups were found deficient.

Purpose: The article describes the development, and presents the proposed information literacy standards with performance indicators for secondary education.Methodology/approach: In Slovenia, no document exists that would define information literacy standards, performance indicators and expected outcomes (knowledge and skills) with different proficiency levels for the secondary school level. To identify appropriate contents and topics, international standards, frameworks and tests of information and digital literacies on the secondary and higher education levels were studied. Slovenian secondary school curricula were analysed, and topics that refer to information literacy were identified. By comparing and overlapping contents of the curricula and the international standards and tests, a proposal was produced, consisting of information literacy standards and performance indicators for the secondary education. The standards were operationalised by stating the expected outcomes (achievements) on three levels of difficulty.Results: Seven information literacy standards with 20 performance indicators were formulated. For each indicator, the corresponding knowledge (expected outcomes) are given on three proficiency levels.Research limitation: The proposed standards and performance indicators were designed by analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information from available international and Slovenian literature. Further testing, harmonisation and optimisation of the proposal in practice of the Slovenian secondary school system will be needed.Originality/practical implications: The proposal of information literacy standards and performance indicators for secondary education fills the existing gap and contributes towards the standardisation and improvement of information literacy in the secondary school population.

The study investigated the predictive power of scientific literacy (SL), ICT use, self-concept, self-efficacy and motivation of 139 undergraduate university students on their information literacy (IL) before taking a compulsory credit-bearing IL course. Knowledge tests were administered for IL and SL, and questionnaires for ICT use and psychological factors. All predictors together accounted for 33.3% of the variance in the pre-test IL level. Significant positive predictors included SL and self-concept about learning, while external controlled motivation correlated negatively with IL. ICT tools and Internet confidence were poor predictors of IL. Internal motivation played a suppressor role in the model. The IL study course significantly improved the IL of students, with a mean difference of 16.38%; the students who scored poorly on the pre-test, benefited more than others.

A new information literacy test ILT for higher education was developed, tested, and validated. The ILT contains 40 multiple-choice questions available in Appendix with four possible answers and follows the recommendations of information literacy IL standards for higher education. It assesses different levels of thinking skills and is intended to be freely available to educators, librarians, and higher education managers, as well as being applicable internationally for study programs in all scientific disciplines. Testing of the ILT was performed on a group of 536 university students. The overall test analysis confirmed the ILT reliability and discrimination power as appropriate Cronbach's alpha 0.74; Ferguson's delta 0.97. The students' average overall achievement was 66%, and IL increased with the year of study. The students were less successful in advanced database search strategies, which require a combination of knowledge, comprehension, and logic, and in topics related to intellectual property and ethics. A group of 163 students who took a second ILT assessment after participating in an IL-specific study course achieved an average posttest score of 78.6%, implying an average IL increase of 13.1%, with most significant improvements in advanced search strategies 23.7%, and in intellectual property and ethics 12.8%.

IzvlečekNamen: V članku predstavljamo in celoti objavljamo validiran test informacijske pismenosti (IP) v visokem šolstvu v slovenskem jeziku. Glavni namen raziskave je bil razvoj novega merskega instrumenta, ki omogoča vrednotenje IP študentov, prepoznavanje razlik v glavnih sklopih vsebin po merilih in kazalcih IP, ter preverjanje kognitivnih stopenj – znanja, razumevanja in uporabe vsebin IP-ja.Metodologija/pristop: Po analizi meril in kazalcev IP-ja v visokem šolstvu smo izdelali zbirko 80 vprašanj ter jih kategorizirali glede na merila IP-ja in Bloomove kognitivne stopnje. V test smo vključili štirideset vprašanj s po štirimi odgovori izbirnega tipa. Po validaciji testa v več skupinah študentov smo v končno raziskavo zajeli 987 študentov univerzitetnih in višješolskih študijev. Za statistične izračune smo uporabili SPSS ver. 22.Rezultati: Novi test za vrednotenje IP-ja vsebuje 40 vprašanj, ki so kategorizirana glede na vsebino in kognitivne stopnje IP-ja. Potrdili smo zanesljivost (Cronbachov alfa 0,715) in diskriminantno moč testa (Fergusonov delta 0,946), izdelali opisne statistike celotnega testa (povprečni dosežek 67 %), analizo pravilnosti po posameznih vprašanjih, analizo dosežkov po posameznih merilih IP-ja ter analizo dosežkov po Bloomovih kognitivnih stopnjah.Omejitve raziskave: Za vrednotenje podrobnih vsebin IP-ja bi test moral vsebovati večje število vprašanj, za preverjanje najvišjih kognitivnih ravni pa uporabne naloge odprtega tipa.Izvirnost/uporabnost raziskave: Nov merski instrument za vrednotenje IP-ja študentov v slovenskem jeziku je prosto dostopen vsem zainteresiranim raziskovalcem in pedagogom.Ključne besede: informacijska pismenost, merila, kognitivne stopnje, test, študenti, visoko šolstvo

Background:Information literate students with a good understanding of science are regarded as an important a pool of future successful professionals. The study explored correlations between information literacy (IL) and scientific literacy (SL) of university students, and analyzed their achievements according to Bloom’s cognitive categories of remembering, understanding and applying knowledge. A theoretical connection between IL standards and SL competencies was exposed.Material and methods:An information literacy test and a science literacy test, derived from the PISA 2006 science scale, were used for assessment.Results:The results showed a significant moderate positive correlation between students’ SL and IL. Students with better understanding of science were more successful in all three cognitive levels of IL, and students with higher SL scores were better in application of IL knowledge. A specialized credit-bearing IL course with active learning significantly improved the IL level of all students, most notably in applying IL knowledge, and thus reduced the initial IL disparities between students with low and high SL.Conclusions:The study brought the realization that IL of university students depend on their SL obtained in previous education, however, a well-designed university IL course contributes towards higher cognitive levels of IL for all students.

The present study investigates the initial level of information literacy (IL) of 308 life sciences students from three Slovenian faculties compared to the level achieved by the students after completing a compulsory credit-bearing IL course. A validated information literacy test (ILT) served as an assessment instrument, and the results were statistically analysed by IL topic, cognitive category and year of study. The students achieved significant progress in all main IL topics and all cognitive categories. The greatest improvement was in the subscale of database searching, where the initial IL level was the lowest. Another IL deficiency that was detected and improved relates to legal and ethical issues. With regard to cognitive categories, the students achieved the most evident progress in the category of applying knowledge, where they were initially the least successful. An analysis of the students’ IL achievements by year of study led to the recommendation to include an IL-related study course in the curriculum of life sciences programmes in the second year of study.

The reason that the products of medicinal fungi are not more widespread and more commercialized is that the most effective fungal species with therapeutic properties are extremely rare in nature. The production of medicinal fungi fruit bodies by cultivation on farms has brought greater accessibility and usability of fungal polysaccharides and terpenoids in practice. Comprehensive production of fungal biomass and substances in bioreactors using submerged and solid-state cultivation utilizing a number of secondary raw materials from the agricultural, food, and wood processing industries has enabled faster, more controlled, and higher volume production of fungal biomass and ingredients. Submerged cultivation technology was found to be faster and more appropriate for human use, while solid-state cultivation seems to be most appropriate for the production of pharmaceutically active animal feed supplements, for which the whole fermented substrate can be used as the product.