In vitro efficacy of Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato against unfed Amblyomma parvum (Acari: Ixodidae).

Amblyomma parvum Aragão (Acari: Ixodidae) is a tick species found with wide distribution in the Neotropical region. Even though it is a wildlife-related tick, it is also a frequent parasite of domestic animals, is aggressive to human beings and may harbor pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, it is a target species for control on domestic animals, particularly those at the rural?wildlife interface. Herein, the efficacy of two isolates (E9 and IBCB 425) of an entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato, already evaluated for ticks that parasitize domestic animals, was tested against unfed A. parvum adults. Both isolates displayed high acaricidal efficacy after immersion in fungal conidial suspensions for 5 min. Isolate E9 killed all ticks by the 7th day post-treatment, and isolate IBCB 425 did so by the 11th day. Tick mortality of 80 and 90% was achieved as early as the 3rd and 4th days, respectively, with both treatments. Thus, if a commercial M. anisopliae s.l. acaricide against domestic animal ticks is developed, it would also be effective against A. parvum

Son Preference Reconfigured? A Qualitative Study of Migration and Social Change in Four Chinese Villages

Drawing from ethnographic data from 48 households in four villages in rural Anhui, this study explores how two practices known for upholding son preference are affected by rural–urban out-migration, with a particular focus on the division of labour in agricultural work and patrilocality. The study deploys the concepts of an intergenerational contract and the “unsubstitutability” of sons and finds that a weakening of the intergenerational contract can take place without substantially challenging the unsubstitutability of sons. The study concludes that although male out-migration undermines the argument that sons are needed to secure male manual labour in family farming, the vital role of male labour as a rural livelihood strategy largely persists. Moreover, although the study identifies migration-induced exceptions, patrilocality remains the main organizing principle for social and economic life for both male and female migrants. Hence, the study finds little support for the prospect that migration is attenuating son preference in rural China

Hong Kong\u27s cultural identity reflected in Jackie Chan\u27s films.

In the 1990s, especially the years before and after Hong Kong\u27s return to the People\u27s Republic of China in 1997, some celebrated and talented Hong Kong film stars, such as Jackie Chan, Yun-Fat Chow and Michelle Yeoh, sought their career success in the Western world, especially in Hollywood. By studying Jackie Chan\u27s representative films produced in Hong Kong and in Hollywood before and after 1997, the author explores how Hong Kong\u27s cultural identity is portrayed in his films produced in the Western world and in a city with a legacy of over a century of colonization. Moreover, the author also tries to explore whether or not the portrayal of Hong Kong\u27s cultural identity in those films is influenced by historical and political factors, such as the handover in 1997, and other social, economic and cultural factors through analyses of the news articles published by a Hong Kong media organization, popular songs, films with other Hong Kong stars in leading roles and some relevant scholarly works produced around the year of the hand over of Hong Kong from Britain to mainland China

Inmigrantes chinos en la bajura guanacasteca de Costa Rica: Historias de inserción social y parentesco de algunos clanes familiares de Puntarenas, Abangares y Nicoya

The purpose of this article is to describe the degree of kinship between several families of Chinese origin who settled in Nicoya and analyze how it influenced their contributions to the socio-economic development of the city and their mobility patterns throughout the Costa Rican Pacific since the late 19th century until the mid-20th century. The study participants are descendants of immigrants who settled in Nicoya from 1880 to 1950 and had two distinctive features: they belonged to the same family clans despite the different surnames with which they were registered or came from the same geographicalarea and sometimes even from the same village, which developed affinity ties as strong as consanguineous ties. This allowed them to support each other to achieve the collective development of the Chinese immigrant group in NicoyaEl propósito de este artículo es describir el grado de parentesco que existió entre varias familias de origen chino que se asentaron en Nicoya y analizar como incidió éste en sus aportes al desarrollo socioeconómico de la ciudad y sus patrones de movilidad a lo largo del Pacífico costarricense desde finales del siglo XIX hasta mediados del siglo XX. Los participantes del estudio son descendientes de inmigrantes que se arraigaron en Nicoya entre 1880 y 1950, los cuales tenían dos particularidades: pertenecían alos mismos clanes familiares pese a los diversos apellidos con los que fueron registrados o provenían de la misma área geográfica y a veces hasta de la misma aldea, con lo cual se desarrollaron lazos de afinidad tan fuertes como los lazos consanguíneos. Esto permitió que se apoyaran mutuamente para lograr el desarrollo colectivo del grupo inmigrante chino en Nicoya.O objetivo deste artigo é descrever o grau de parentesco existente entre várias famílias de origem chinesa que se estabeleceram em Nicoya e analisar como isso influenciou suas contribuições para o desenvolvimento socioeconômico da cidade e seus padrões de mobilidade em todo o Pacífico da Costa Rica desde final do século XIX até meados do século XX. Os participantes do estudo são descendentes de imigrantes que se enraizaram em Nicoya entre 1880 e 1950, que possuíam duas peculiaridades: pertenciam aos mesmos clãs familiares, apesar dos diferentes sobrenomes com os quais estavam registrados ou eram da mesma área geográfica e, às vezes, até da mesma aldeia, que desenvolveu laços de afinidade tão fortes quanto laços consanguíneos. Isso lhes permitiu apoiar-se mutuamente para alcançar o desenvolvimento coletivo do grupo de imigrantes chineses em Nicoya.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Artes y Letras::Facultad de Letras::Escuela de Lenguas Moderna

Higher Education in Estonia

The current publication is the fourth edition of Higher Education in Estonia. The first edition was compiled in collaboration with the Estonian Ministry of Education in 1998, the second and the third (revised) edition appeared in 2001 and 2004 respectively. The publication is an information tool for all those concerned with higher education in its international context. It contains information about the Estonian higher education system and the higher education institutions, meant primarily for use by credential evaluation and recognition bodies, such as recognition information centres, higher education institutions and employers

Marginal neighbourhood in the centre of Hong Kong

本文環繞香港都市的一個邊緣社區，探討深水埗居民的生活。從當地人的角度，研究後工業社會的弱勢居民，怎樣體驗，應對及理解他們的生活情況。透過了解居民的日常生活，本論文旨在探究在社會結構與文化進程的互動下，如何令深水埗成為香港中心的邊緣社區。研究顯示在香港不斷轉變的政治經濟環境下，深水埗的地區性發展、低成本經濟、居民的組合，以及居民的心態和行為，都是構成邊緣社區的重要因素。This is an ethnographic study of a marginal neighbourhood of Hong Kong, Sham Shui Po. It focuses on the everyday lives of Hong Kong's urban poor in Sham Shui Po. By taking an insider's point of view, this study examines how underprivileged residents experience, manage and think about their lives in post-industrial urban Hong Kong. This study seeks to understand the social structures and cultural processes that contribute to Sham Shui Po's marginality in the centre of Hong Kong by exploring the lives and livelihoods of underprivileged residents. I show how Sham Shui Po's regional development, low-cost economy, residential composition, as well as the mindset and behaviour of its residents all contribute to making of a marginal neighbourhood in the context of post-industrial Hong Kong.Detailed summary in vernacular field only.Christopher Cheng.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-155).Abstracts also in Chinese.Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1Sham Shui Po as a marginal neighbourhood in Hong KongPovertyMarginalisationReproduction of povertyNeighbourhoodMethodologyFieldworkLimitations and ethical concernsThesis organisationChapter CHAPTER 2 --- THE SETTING --- p.22Central position yet marginal characterLiving in a tong⁴ lau⁴Geographies of centrality and marginalitySham Shui Po and the modernisation of Hong KongNeighbourhood characteristicsChapter 1 --- The tong⁴ lau⁴ streetsChapter 2 --- Street markets and the leftover effects of yesteryearsChapter 3 --- Low-cost economy and residentsChapter 4 --- Community service agenciesSham Shui Po as a unique settingChapter CHAPTER 3 --- SIX POOR FAMILIES --- p.46Introducing six Sham Shui Po familiesCase 1 Uncle Leung--An earlier generation Chinese migrantCase 2 Ms. Tang Yuk-yip--A Mainland welfare motherCase 3 Uncle Mok--An elderly Hong Kong manCase 4 Uncle Kwok--A remarried Hong Kong fatherCase 5 Patrick Lau--A low-income Hong Kong fatherCase 6 Makala Sariwa--A Filipina single parent seeking asylumVariations in social marginalisationHidden in society: Unfulfilled promises, shame and social debtChapter CHAPTER 4 --- SURVIVAL STRATEGIES --- p.72Survival strategiesStrategy 1: Low-cost lifestyleStrategy 2: Initiatives of a marginal neighbourhoodStrategy 3: Sharing and mutual exchange networksStrategy 4: Institutional servicesThe relationship between the different strategiesSurviving in Sham Shui PoChapter CHAPTER 5 --- POVERTY AS LIVED EXPERIENCE --- p.101Becoming poorFate and situational determinants of povertyBeing poorCelebrations“Being poor may do you some good!“Shame, guilt and loss of face“We aren’t that poor!“Aspiring to overcome povertyValuing educatingMoving onExplaining and challenging the notions of inequalityChapter CHAPTER 6 --- CONCLUSION: A MARGINAL NEIGHBOURHOOD --- p.123Chapter 1 --- Historical developmentChapter 2 --- Low-cost economyChapter 3 --- The people of Sham Shui Po and the making of a “mixed place“Chapter 4 --- Marginal lives, marginal livelihoodsChapter APPENDIX 1 --- REFLECTIONS ON FIELDWORK --- p.130Chapter APPENDIX 2 --- SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MY INFORMANTS --- p.132Chapter APPENDIX 3 --- SUPPORT SERVICES & ORGANISATIONS --- p.134BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.14

Parkinsoni tõbi kui multisüsteemne haigus: Parkinsoni tõve patsientide naha ja vere kogu transkriptoomi uuring

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneAlzheimeri tõve järel on Parkinsoni tõbi (PT) teine kõige levinum neurodegeneratiivne haigus, mille puhul esineb arvestatavalt palju kliinilist valediagnoosi. PT on liigutushäire, millele on iseloomulik tahtlike liigutuste aeglus (mida tuntakse bradükineesiana), rigiidsus ja rahutreemor, mida kokku nimetatakse parkinsoni triaadiks. PT patofüsioloogiale on iseloomulik dopaminergiliste närvirakkude hävimine kesknärvisüsteemi mustaines ja närvirakkudes patoloogilise valgu α-sünukleiini kuhjumine Lewy kehakesteks. Kindla diagnoosi saab anda alles peale surma, sest hetkel pole PT jaoks olemas usaldusväärseid biomarkereid. Enamik PT juhtumitest on sporaadilised ja suured genoomiülesed uuringud näitavad, et ainuüksi geenide varieeruvus ei ole PT peamine esinemise põhjus. Seetõttu uurib käesolev teadustöö PT geeniekspressiooni (transkriptoomikat), et leida kasutavaid diagnostilisi ja prognostilisi biomarkerid. Geeniekspressiooni koespetsiifilisuse tõttu on transkriptoomika puhul oluline, millisest koest proov võtta. PT on kanooniliselt keskaju dopaminergiliste närvirakkude haigus, kuid sellest koest ei saa eluspuhuselt proovi võtta. Arvestades, et transkriptoomikat saab keskajust teha ainult peale surma, on teiste ligipääsetavate kudede leidmine eluspuhuseks diagnostikaks oluline. Potentsiaalsete huvipakkuvate kudede alla võib lugeda naha, sest PT patsientidel esineb üldpopulatsioonist rohkem melanoomi ning teisi spetsiifilisi nahaprobleeme. Naha kõrval on teine huvipakkuv kude veri, sest see on kõige lihtsamini kogutav kude ja ringeldes kogu organismis, sisaldab ta endas palju süsteemset informatsiooni. Selgitamaks, kas PT on multisüsteemne haigus, kus on haigusspetsiifiliselt muutunud ka mitteneuronaalsed perifeersed koed, on käesoleva töö eesmärgiks kaardistada PT geeniekspressiooni RNA sekveneerimise abil nahas ja veres. PT naha tulemused näitavad, et valdava osa geenide ekspressioon on alla reguleeritud ja leitud muutused peegeldavad PT ajukoes leitud mustrit. Samuti selgitavad need muutused naha kõrgemat haavatavust mutageensete ohtude suhtes, mis võib põhjendada kõrgenenud melanoomi esinemist PT põdevate inimeste nahas. Teadustöö viitab sellele, et PT võib muuta naha kui perifeerse koe geeniekspressiooni haigusspetsiifiliselt. Tulemused PT põdevate inimeste vereproovidest näitavad oluliselt vähem muutusi, mida samas on varasemate PT uuringutes juba kirjeldatud. Muutuste vähesuse tõttu on verd raske kasutada biomarkerite avastamiseks, sest tegemist on heterogeense koega ja tulemused ei pruugi seega olla reprodutseeritavad. Kahe koe võrdluses ei leitud kattuvaid oluliselt muutunud geeniekspressioone. See asjaolu rõhutab koespetsiifiliste erinevuste tähtsust geeniekspressiooni uuringutes. Käesolev uuring toob välja geeniekspressioonid, mis näitasid kõige reprodutseeritavamaid muutusi ja vajavad täiendavaid funktsionaalseid uuringuid nende biomarkeripotentsiaali hindamiseks.Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease with a considerable rate of clinical misdiagnosis. PD is a movement disorder characterized by slowness of voluntary movement (known as bradykinesia), rigidity and resting tremor, together known as the parkinsonian triad. The pathophysiology of PD converges into pathognomonic loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra of the central nervous system and the accumulation of pathologic protein α-synuclein into Lewy bodies in neurons. The definite diagnosis can only be established post mortem, as there are currently no reliable biomarkers for PD. Most PD cases are sporadic and large genome wide association studies show that gene variance alone is not the main cause of PD occurrence. This work, therefore, investigates gene expression (transcriptomics) of PD in search of feasible diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. The tissue which the sample is taken from is relevant in transcriptomics, because gene expression is tissue specific. PD has canonically seen as a disease of the dopaminergic neurons in the central nervous tissue, but this tissue cannot be sampled from living patients. It is, therefore, necessary to find other tissues that allow sampling in vivo for biomarker research. A potential tissue of interest is the skin because PD patients have more melanoma and other specific skin conditions compared to the general population. Another promising tissue next to skin is the blood, because it is the easiest to sample and circulating the whole organism carries a lot of systemic information. The current work profiles gene expression from skin and blood using RNA sequencing in order to explore the disease specific involvement of nonneuronal peripheral tissues in PD. The results from PD skin show a pattern of global downregulation of differentially expressed genes that mirrors the pathophysiology of PD in the brain. Changes that lead to vulnerability in PD skin to mutagenic hazards are also mapped that might explain the epidemiologically observed elevated prevalence of melanoma in PD patients. This suggests that gene expression in the skin, a peripheral nonneuronal tissue, is PD-specifically changed. The results from PD blood show notably fewer changes, however, most are previously described in PD. This highlights the difficulty in using blood for biomarker discovery as the tissue is heterogeneous and the results are not easily reproducible. No overlapping differentially changed gene expressions are found in comparison of the two tissues in PD, which underlines the importance of tissue specific differences in gene expression. The study highlights notable differential gene expressions that show most robust changes and warrant further functional studies to evaluate their biomarker potential.https://www.ester.ee/record=b542987

Becoming Hèunggóngyàhn: a study of female Mainland immigrants in Hong Kong.

Lau, Ying Chui Janice.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 219-235).Abstracts in English and Chinese; includes Chinese characters.AbstractAcknowledgementChapter 1Introduction --- p.1Background --- p.4Defining Female New Immigrants --- p.7Literature Review --- p.10Methodology --- p.22List of Informants --- p.25Thesis Structure --- p.27Chapter 2History of Female Mainland Migrants in Hong Kong --- p.30Invisible Female Migrants --- p.31Immigration Policy as Identity Marker --- p.35Gender Implications in the Immigration Policy --- p.37Shifts in Social Policy and Social Capital --- p.41Hong Kong Identity: a Gender Perspective --- p.45"Class, Popular Culture and Identity Politics" --- p.50Conclusion --- p.53Chapter 3Hongkongness in the Classroom --- p.56Learning Hong Kong English --- p.60Learning “accentless´ح Cantonese --- p.70Learning Proper Behavior --- p.78Learning the Hong Kong Spirit --- p.87Conclusion --- p.94Chapter 4Reconstructing Womanhood --- p.96Dressing up in Hongkong-Style --- p.100Reconstructing a Hongkong-Style Beautiful Face --- p.104Learning to be a Wife of Hong Kong Man --- p.109Learning to be a Hong Kong Mother --- p.116Marital Relationship and Adaptation --- p.119Conclusion --- p.137Chapter 5Empowerment and Disempowerment --- p.140Empowerment --- p.141Structural Resources --- p.143Gain and Loss of Capital --- p.147Defining Capital: Social Workers and Class Teachers --- p.152Redefining Capital: Mainland Women Migrants´ة Agency --- p.157Evaluation of Achievement --- p.163Breaking Down of Cultural Boundaries --- p.163Discarding Stereotypes --- p.166Constructing New Relations --- p.169Disempowerment --- p.175Conclusion --- p.186Chapter 6Conclusion --- p.189A Uniquely Hong Kong Process --- p.189Keeping an Imagined Boundary --- p.195Imitating Hongkong-Style Womanhood --- p.199Women´ةs Empowerment and Disempowerment --- p.203Policy Implications and Recommendations --- p.206The Way Ahead --- p.213Appendixes --- p.215Bibliography --- p.21

ENGENDERING CHINESE MIGRATION HISTORY: "LEFT-BEHIND WIVES OF THE NANYANG MIGRANTS" IN QUANZHOU BEFORE AND AFTER THE PACIFIC WAR

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Patterns of avian haemosporidia in birds within the greater Cape Town area

Includes bibliographical references.Every species of bird has at least one species of endoparasite or ectoparasite, if not several. Thus it cannot be taken for granted that a particular individual avian species is free from haemosporidian infections. Birds have the richest diversity of intracellular, single cell, protozoan parasites with complicated life cycles, changing between the vector as definitive host (blood-feeding arthropod) and bird as intermediate host. Avian haemosporidian parasites belong to the order Haemospororida, to which the families Haemoprotidae, Plasmodiidae, Garniidae and Leucocytozoidae belong, consisting of the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium, Fallisia and Leucocytozoon