530 research outputs found
Tracing public values change: a historical study of civil service job advertisements
Long term changes in public values are not easily detected. One important reason is the limited availability of reliable empirical data. Job advertisements allow us to go back in history for some decades and job ads may present us with the values that are supposed to guide civil servant behavior. This paper analyses a sample of job ads from 1966 to 2008 in Denmark and the Netherlands. The analysis reveals that Denmark and the Netherlands follow the same pattern: a) merit (expertise/ professionalism) is and continues to be the most important selection criteria, but the meaning of merit explodes in several directions; b) job ads develop into platforms for organizational branding with an emphasis on HR-related values although national logos enter the scene (the Danish royal crown, the Dutch national emblem); c) New Public Management values do not crowd out other values, rather value intensity increases.FGW – Publications without University Leiden contrac
Robust paramagnetism in Bi2-xMxRu2O7 (M=Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu) pyrochlore
We report physical property characterization of Bi2-xMxRu2O7 pyrochlores,
including magnetic suseptibility, resistivity, and Seebeck coefficients. The
solid solution exists up to x=0.5 for (M=Cu,Ni,Co) and up to x=0.1 for
(M=Fe,Mn). None of the doped materials exhibit ferromagnetism or any localized
ruthenium moment behavior. Instead we find the Ru-O and Bi-O sublattices to be
essentially independent, with any magnetism resulting from the unpaired
transition metal dopant spins. Cobalt substitution for bismuth results in
localized Co{2+}, and low temperature spin-glass transitions in several cases.
Nickel moments on the pyrochlore lattice display properties intermediate to
localized and itinerant. Finally, copper doping results in only an enhancement
of the Pauli metallic density of states.Comment: submitted, Phys. Rev.
Genetic background strongly influences the bone phenotype of P2X7 receptor knockout mice
The purinergic P2X7 receptor is expressed by bone cells and has been shown to be important in both bone formation and bone resorption. In this study we investigated the importance of the genetic background of the mouse strains on which the P2X7 knock-out models were based by comparing bone status of a new BALB/cJ P2X7-/- strain with a previous one based on the C57BL/6 strain. Female four-month-old mice from both strains were DXA scanned on a PIXImus densitometer; femurs were collected for bone strength measurements and serum for bone marker analysis. Bone-related parameters that were altered only slightly in the B6 P2X7-/- became significantly altered in the BALB/cJ P2X7-/- when compared to their wild type littermates. The BALB/cJ P2X7-/- showed reduced levels of serum C-telopeptide fragment (s-CTX), higher bone mineral density, and increased bone strength compared to the wild type littermates. In conclusion, we have shown that the genetic background of P2X7-/- mice strongly influences the bone phenotype of the P2X7-/- mice and that P2X7 has a more significant regulatory role in bone remodeling than found in previous studies
TGF-b Superfamily Cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 Is a Physiological Appetite and Body Weight Regulator
The TGF-b superfamily cytokine MIC-1/GDF15 circulates in all humans and when overproduced in cancer leads to anorexia/cachexia, by direct action on brain feeding centres. In these studies we have examined the role of physiologically relevant levels of MIC-1/GDF15 in the regulation of appetite, body weight and basal metabolic rate. MIC-1/GDF15 gene knockout mice (MIC-1−/−) weighed more and had increased adiposity, which was associated with increased spontaneous food intake. Female MIC-1−/− mice exhibited some additional alterations in reduced basal energy expenditure and physical activity, possibly owing to the associated decrease in total lean mass. Further, infusion of human recombinant MIC-1/GDF15 sufficient to raise serum levels in MIC-1−/− mice to within the normal human range reduced body weight and food intake. Taken together, our findings suggest that MIC-1/GDF15 is involved in the physiological regulation of appetite and energy storage
Fluctuations of water near extended hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces
We use molecular dynamics simulations of the SPC-E model of liquid water to
derive probability distributions for water density fluctuations in probe
volumes of different shapes and sizes, both in the bulk as well as near
hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. To obtain our results, we introduce a
biased sampling of coarse-grained densities, which in turn biases the actual
solvent density. The technique is easily combined with molecular dynamics
integration algorithms. Our principal result is that the probability for
density fluctuations of water near a hydrophobic surface, with or without
surface-water attractions, is akin to density fluctuations at the water-vapor
interface. Specifically, the probability of density depletion near the surface
is significantly larger than that in bulk. In contrast, we find that the
statistics of water density fluctuations near a model hydrophilic surface are
similar to that in the bulk
Semi-analytical approach to magnetized temperature autocorrelations
The cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature autocorrelations, induced
by a magnetized adiabatic mode of curvature inhomogeneities, are computed with
semi-analytical methods. As suggested by the latest CMB data, a nearly
scale-invariant spectrum for the adiabatic mode is consistently assumed. In
this situation, the effects of a fully inhomogeneous magnetic field are
scrutinized and constrained with particular attention to harmonics which are
relevant for the region of Doppler oscillations. Depending on the parameters of
the stochastic magnetic field a hump may replace the second peak of the angular
power spectrum. Detectable effects on the Doppler region are then expected only
if the magnetic power spectra have quasi-flat slopes and typical amplitude
(smoothed over a comoving scale of Mpc size and redshifted to the epoch of
gravitational collapse of the protogalaxy) exceeding 0.1 nG. If the magnetic
energy spectra are bluer (i.e. steeper in frequency) the allowed value of the
smoothed amplitude becomes, comparatively, larger (in the range of 20 nG). The
implications of this investigation for the origin of large-scale magnetic
fields in the Universe are discussed. Connections with forthcoming experimental
observations of CMB temperature fluctuations are also suggested and partially
explored.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figure
What are Employers Looking for in New Veterinary Graduates? A Content Analysis of UK Veterinary Job Advertisements
As veterinary educators, we have a responsibility to ensure that our graduates are prepared for working life. Veterinary practices, like any other businesses, rely on good employees, and the implications of a poor match between newly employed veterinarian and employing practice could be extremely costly in terms of personal well-being and enjoyment of work as well as the time, financial, and goodwill costs of high staff turnover for the practice. Contemporary veterinary curricula encompass a range of teaching to complement the clinical content; including communication, teamwork, problem solving, and business skills, to support good practice and increase the employability of new graduates. Previous studies have examined the qualities required of early career veterinarians as viewed by educators, recent graduates, pet owners, and practitioners; however, nobody has previously constructed a picture of the employment market for new veterinary graduates by exploring the nature of its recruitment advertising. Three months of UK veterinary job advertisements were examined. Content analysis yielded 10 distinct characteristics desired by employers of early career veterinarians. The most common by far was “enthusiasm,” followed by an interest in a particular area of practice, being an “all-rounder” (i.e., having a broad range of skills), demonstrating good communication skills, teamwork, client care, and independence, as well as being caring, ambitious, and having high clinical standards. While several of these qualities are expected and are specifically taught in veterinary school, the dominance of “enthusiasm” as a specifically desired trait raises interesting questions about the characteristics of veterinary students who we are supporting, encouraging, or maybe even suppressing, during veterinary training
Psychosocial correlates with depressive symptoms six years after a first episode of psychosis as compared with findings from a general population sample
BACKGROUND: Depression is frequently occurring during and after psychosis. The aim of this study was to analyze if the psychosocial characteristics associated with depression/depressive symptoms in the late phase of a first episode psychosis (FEP) population were different compared to persons from the general population. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent out to all individuals six years after their FEP and to a general population sample. Depressive symptoms were recorded using a self-rating scale, the Major Depression Inventory. RESULTS: Formerly FEP persons had a higher representation of depressive symptoms/depression, unemployment, financial problems and insufficient social network. Depressive symptoms/depression were found to be associated with psychosocial problems. An age and gender effect was found in the general population, but not in the FEP sample. When the psychosocial characteristics were taken into account there were no association between having had FEP and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The association between having been a FEP patient and depressive symptoms/depression disappeared when negative social aspects were taken into account
Cold and Ultracold Rydberg Atoms in Strong Magnetic Fields
Cold Rydberg atoms exposed to strong magnetic fields possess unique
properties which open the pathway for an intriguing many-body dynamics taking
place in Rydberg gases consisting of either matter or anti-matter systems. We
review both the foundations and recent developments of the field in the cold
and ultracold regime where trapping and cooling of Rydberg atoms have become
possible. Exotic states of moving Rydberg atoms such as giant dipole states are
discussed in detail, including their formation mechanisms in a strongly
magnetized cold plasma. Inhomogeneous field configurations influence the
electronic structure of Rydberg atoms, and we describe the utility of
corresponding effects for achieving tightly trapped ultracold Rydberg atoms. We
review recent work on large, extended cold Rydberg gases in magnetic fields and
their formation in strongly magnetized ultracold plasmas through collisional
recombination. Implications of these results for current antihydrogen
production experiments are pointed out, and techniques for trapping and cooling
of such atoms are investigated.Comment: 46 pages, 38 figures, to appear in Physics Report
Histone H4K20 methylation mediated chromatin compaction threshold ensures genome integrity by limiting DNA replication licensing
Cell cycle and replication need to be tightly regulated to ensure genome stability in mammalian cells. Here the authors provide a link between chromatin structure and DNA replication regulation by showing that chromatin compaction limits replication licensing thereby promoting genome integrity
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