Integration of engineering education and business education as a driver of the development of national economies of post-Soviet countries

На основі аналізу даних соціологічного дослідження, проведеного в рамках міжнародного науково-дослідного проекту БРФФД-ДФФДУ на тему «інтеграція інженерної освіти і бізнес-освіти в технічних університетах України і Білорусі як фактор розвитку національних економік», виявлено високий рівень мотивації і готовність студентів інженерних спеціальностей Національного технічного університету України «Київський політехнічний інститут ім. Ігоря Сікорського» (Київ) і білоруського національного технічного університету (Мінськ) займатися промисловим підприємництвом. Обґрунтовується, що технічне студентство країн колишнього радянського Союзу може бути соціальною базою переходу до ринкової інноваційної економіки, за умови здійснення інтеграції інженерної освіти і бізнес-освіти в технічних університетах для підготовки інженера-підприємця (подібна інтеграція вже існує в західних країнах). Аргументується (з урахуванням відповідного міжнародного досвіду), що існує висока потреба в підготовці інженера-підприємця в пострадянських країнах, оскільки дана соціальна фігура є ключовою в комерціалізації технічної творчості – глобального тренду, запущеного в західних країнах в ході розвитку промислового капіталізму і обґрунтованого в концепції інноваційної економіки видатного австрійсько-американського економіста Й. Шумпетера. Публікація містить результати досліджень, проведених за грантової підтримки Державного фонду фундаментальних досліджень України за конкурсним проектом Ф73/24456 «Інтеграція інженерної освіти і бізнес-освіти в технічних університетах України та Білорусі як фактор розвитку національних економік».The article is based on the analysis of sociological data from a survey carried out within the framework of the BRFFR-SFFRU international research project entitled «The integration of engineering and business education in technical universities of Ukraine and Belarus as a factor of national economic development». The research demonstrates a high level of motivation and readiness of students specializing in engineering in National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" (Kiev) and Belorussian National Technical University (Minsk) to engage in industrial entrepreneurship. The study convincingly proves that the technical students of the former Soviet countries can be a social base for the transition to a market-based innovation economy subject to the integration of engineering education and business education in technical universities for the training of entrepreneur-engineer (such integration already exists in Western countries). Taking into account the relevant international experience, it is argued that there is a high need for training an engineer-entrepreneur in the former Soviet countries, since this is a key social figure in the commercialization of technical creativity – a global trend launched in Western countries during the development of industrial capitalism and grounded in the concept of innovative economy by a famous Austrian-American economist, J. Schumpeter. The publication contains the results of studies conducted with the grant support of the State Fund for Fundamental Research of Ukraine on the competition project F73 / 24456 "Integration of engineering education and business education in technical universities in Ukraine and Belarus as a factor in the development of national economies.На основе анализа данных социологического исследования, проведенного в рамках международного научно-исследовательского проекта БРФФИ-ГФФИУ по теме «Интеграция инженерного образования и бизнес-образования в технических университетах Украины и Беларуси как фактор развития национальных экономик», выявлены высокий уровень мотивации и готовность студентов инженерных специальностей Национального технического университета Украины «Киевский политехнический институт им. Игоря Сикорского» (Киев) и Белорусского национального технического университета (Минск) заниматься промышленным предпринимательством. Обосновывается, что техническое студенчество стран бывшего Советского Союза может быть социальной базой перехода к рыночной инновационной экономике при условии осуществления интеграции инженерного образования и бизнес-образования в технических университетах для подготовки инженера-предпринимателя (подобная интеграция уже существует в западных странах). Аргументируется (с учетом соответствующего международного опыта), что существует высокая потребность в подготовке инженера-предпринимателя в бывших советских странах, поскольку данная социальная фигура является ключевой в коммерциализации технического творчества – глобального тренда, запущенного в западных странах в ходе развития промышленного капитализма и обоснованного в концепции инновационной экономики выдающегося австрийско-американского экономиста Й. Шумпетера. Публикация содержит результаты исследований, проведенных при грантовой поддержке Государственного фонда фундаментальных исследований Украины по конкурсному проекту Ф73/24456 «Интеграция инженерного образования и бизнес-образования в технических университетах Украины и Беларуси как фактор развития национальных экономик

Minimizing the Dangers of Air Pollution Using Alternative Facts: A Science Museum Case Study

A science museum exhibition about human health contains an exhibit that minimizes health impacts of air pollution. Relevant details, such as the full range of health risks; fossil fuel combustion; air quality statutes (and the local electrical utility’s violations of these statues), are omitted, while end users of electricity are blamed. The exhibit accomplishes this, not through outright falsification, but through selected “alternative facts” that change the focus and imply misleading alternate explanations. Using two classical rhetorical concepts (the practical syllogism and the enthymeme) allows for the surfacing of missing evidence and unstated directives underlying multimodal rhetoric. By stating multimedia arguments syllogistically, a technique is proposed for revealing hidden political sub-texts from beneath a putatively disinterested presentation of facts. The piece should be of interest to researchers, message designers and policy makers interested in the rhetoric of science, ecology, health and museums

Global Role and Burden of Influenza in Pediatric Respiratory Hospitalizations, 1982-2012:A Systematic Analysis

BACKGROUND:The global burden of pediatric severe respiratory illness is substantial, and influenza viruses contribute to this burden. Systematic surveillance and testing for influenza among hospitalized children has expanded globally over the past decade. However, only a fraction of the data has been used to estimate influenza burden. In this analysis, we use surveillance data to provide an estimate of influenza-associated hospitalizations among children worldwide. METHODS AND FINDINGS:We aggregated data from a systematic review (n = 108) and surveillance platforms (n = 37) to calculate a pooled estimate of the proportion of samples collected from children hospitalized with respiratory illnesses and positive for influenza by age group (<6 mo, <1 y, <2 y, <5 y, 5-17 y, and <18 y). We applied this proportion to global estimates of acute lower respiratory infection hospitalizations among children aged <1 y and <5 y, to obtain the number and per capita rate of influenza-associated hospitalizations by geographic region and socio-economic status. Influenza was associated with 10% (95% CI 8%-11%) of respiratory hospitalizations in children <18 y worldwide, ranging from 5% (95% CI 3%-7%) among children <6 mo to 16% (95% CI 14%-20%) among children 5-17 y. On average, we estimated that influenza results in approximately 374,000 (95% CI 264,000 to 539,000) hospitalizations in children <1 y-of which 228,000 (95% CI 150,000 to 344,000) occur in children <6 mo-and 870,000 (95% CI 610,000 to 1,237,000) hospitalizations in children <5 y annually. Influenza-associated hospitalization rates were more than three times higher in developing countries than in industrialized countries (150/100,000 children/year versus 48/100,000). However, differences in hospitalization practices between settings are an important limitation in interpreting these findings. CONCLUSIONS:Influenza is an important contributor to respiratory hospitalizations among young children worldwide. Increasing influenza vaccination coverage among young children and pregnant women could reduce this burden and protect infants <6 mo

Data from: Eco-evolutionary dynamics in urbanized landscapes: evolution, species sorting and the change in zooplankton body size along urbanization gradients

Urbanization causes both changes in community composition and evolutionary responses, but most studies focus on these responses in isolation. We performed an integrated analysis assessing the relative contribution of intra- and interspecific trait turnover to the observed change in zooplankton community body size in 83 cladoceran communities along urbanization gradients quantified at seven spatial scales (50–3200 m radii). We also performed a quantitative genetic analysis on 12 Daphnia magna populations along the same urbanization gradient. Body size in zooplankton communities generally declined with increasing urbanization, but the opposite was observed for communities dominated by large species. The contribution of intraspecific trait variation to community body size turnover with urbanization strongly varied with the spatial scale considered, and was highest for communities dominated by large cladoceran species and at intermediate spatial scales. Genotypic size at maturity was smaller for urban than for rural D. magna populations and for animals cultured at 24°C compared with 20°C. While local genetic adaptation likely contributed to the persistence of D. magna in the urban heat islands, buffering for the phenotypic shift to larger body sizes with increasing urbanization, community body size turnover was mainly driven by non-genetic intraspecific trait change

Brans_etal_PhilTransB_EcoEvoUrbanLandscapes_data

Data1: Body size data on all species present in the communities sampled along the urbanization gradient. Data2: Relative abundances of all species present in the communities sampled along the urbanization gradient. Data3: GBG values for all ponds, indicating the percentage built-up area and thus the degree of urbanization. Data4: Experimental genotypic size at maturity data of Daphnia magna reared at two different temperatures (20°C and 24°C). Data5: Adult field body size data of Daphnia magna to extend estimations in the GTV analyses

H2AFX and MDC1 promote maintenance of genomic integrity in male germ cells

In somatic cells, H2afx and Mdc1 are close functional partners in DNA repair and damage response. However, it is not known whether they are also involved in the maintenance of genome integrity in meiosis. By analyzing chromosome dynamics in H2afx spermatocytes, we found that the synapsis of autosomes and X-Y chromosomes was impaired in a fraction of cells. Such defects correlated with an abnormal recombination profile. Conversely, Mdc1 was dispensable for the synapsis of the autosomes and played only a minor role in X-Y synapsis, compared with the action of H2afx. This suggested that those genes have non-overlapping functions in chromosome synapsis. However, we observed that both genes play a similar role in the assembly of MLH3 onto chromosomes, a key step in crossover formation. Moreover, we show that H2afx and Mdc1 cooperate in promoting the activation of the recombination-dependent checkpoint, a mechanism that restrains the differentiation of cells with unrepaired DSBs. This occurs by a mechanism that involves P53. Overall, our data show that, in male germ cells, H2afx and Mdc1 promote the maintenance of genome integrity

ATR is required to complete meiotic recombination in mice

Precise execution of recombination during meiosis is essential for forming chromosomally-balanced gametes. Meiotic recombination initiates with the formation and resection of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Cellular responses to meiotic DSBs are critical for efficient repair and quality control, but molecular features of these remain poorly understood, particularly in mammals. Here we report that the DNA damage response protein kinase ATR is crucial for meiotic recombination and completion of meiotic prophase in mice. Using a hypomorphic Atr mutation and pharmacological inhibition of ATR in vivo and in cultured spermatocytes, we show that ATR, through its effector kinase CHK1, promotes efficient RAD51 and DMC1 assembly at RPA-coated resected DSB sites and establishment of interhomolog connections during meiosis. Furthermore, our findings suggest that ATR promotes local accumulation of recombination markers on unsynapsed axes during meiotic prophase to favor homologous chromosome synapsis. These data reveal that ATR plays multiple roles in mammalian meiotic recombination