91 research outputs found
The Swedish welfare state: neo-liberal challenge and welfare state resilience
'Angesichts neo-liberaler Strömungen und schwerer wirtschaftlicher Probleme wĂ€hrend der frĂŒhen 1990er Jahre befĂŒrchteten viele Beobachter, der schwedische Wohlfahrtsstaat wĂŒrde sein umfassendes und geschlechter-gerechtes Profil verlieren. Dieser Beitrag argumentiert, dass die VerĂ€nderungen des schwedischen Wohlfahrtsstaates in den 1990er Jahren inkrementell, aber nicht fundamental waren. TatsĂ€chlich wurden KĂŒrzungen und Ănderungen vorgenommen, diese resultieren allerdings nicht in einer radikalen Restrukturierung des Wohlfahrtsstaates. Die zentralen Sozialleistungen wurden universalistischer, nicht zuletzt dank des steigenden Anteils von Frauen am Arbeitsmarkt. Auch die öffentliche Kinderbetreuung wurde eher ausgedehnt denn eingeschrĂ€nkt. Dies belegt, dass es nach wie vor Spielraum fĂŒr Politikdivergenz gibt. Selbst einer kleinen offenen Wirtschaft mit dem höchsten Budgetdefizit innerhalb der OECD in den 1990er Jahren war es möglich, das nationale Budget wieder unter Kontrolle zu bringen, ohne den Wohlfahrtsstaat abzubauen.' (Autorenreferat)'In the light of neo-liberalism and severe economic problems during the early 1990s many observers have feared that the Swedish welfare state would loose its universal and gender-equal profile. In this article the authors argue that changes of the Swedish welfare state during the 1990s were incremental, rather than fundamental. Cuts and changes have indeed been made, but they do not sum up to a radical restructuring of the welfare state. The core social insurance programs have become more universal, not least thanks to the growing number of women's labour market participation. Also public childcare services have expanded rather than decreased. This shows that there is still room for public policy divergence. Even for a small open economy with the highest budget deficit in the OECD in the early 1990s it has been possible to regain control over the national budget without dismantling the welfare state.' (author's abstract
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) gene family duplications in Lampreys correlate with two early vertebrate genome doublings
The ancestor of gnathostomes (jawed vertebrates) is generally considered to have undergone two rounds of whole genome duplication (WGD). The timing of these WGD events relative to the divergence of the closest relatives of the gnathostomes, the cyclostomes, has remained contentious. Lampreys and hagfishes are extant cyclostomes whose gene families can shed light on the relationship between the WGDs and the cyclostome-gnathostome divergence. Previously, we have characterized in detail the evolution of the gnathostome corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) family and found that its five members arose from two ancestral genes that existed before the WGDs. The two WGDs resulted, after secondary losses, in one triplet consisting of CRH1, CRH2, and UCN1, and one pair consisting of UCN2 and UCN3. All five genes exist in representatives for cartilaginous fishes, ray-finned fishes, and lobe-finned fishes. Differential losses have occurred in some lineages. We present here analyses of CRH-family members in lamprey and hagfish by comparing sequences and gene synteny with gnathostomes. We found five CRH-family genes in each of two lamprey species (Petromyzon marinus and Lethenteron camtschaticum) and two genes in a hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri). Synteny analyses show that all five lamprey CRH-family genes have similar chromosomal neighbors as the gnathostome genes. The most parsimonious explanation is that the lamprey CRH-family genes are orthologs of the five gnathostome genes and thus arose in the same chromosome duplications. This suggests that lampreys and gnathostomes share the same two WGD events and that these took place before the lamprey-gnathostome divergence.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology: UIDB/04326/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Low Temperature and Low UV Indexes Correlated with Peaks of Influenza Virus Activity in Northern Europe during 2010â2018
With the increasing pace of global warming, it is important to understand the role of meteorological factors in influenza virus (IV) epidemics. In this study, we investigated the impact of temperature, UV index, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, and precipitation on IV activity in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during 2010â2018. Both correlation and machine learning analyses revealed that low temperature and UV indexes were the most predictive meteorological factors for IV epidemics in Northern Europe. Our in vitro experiments confirmed that low temperature and UV radiation preserved IV infectivity. Associations between these meteorological factors and IV activity could improve surveillance and promote development of accurate predictive models for future influenza outbreaks in the region
Low Temperature and Low UV Indexes Correlated with Peaks of Influenza Virus Activity in Northern Europe during 2010â2018
With the increasing pace of global warming, it is important to understand the role of meteorological factors in influenza virus (IV) epidemics. In this study, we investigated the impact of temperature, UV index, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, and precipitation on IV activity in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during 2010â2018. Both correlation and machine learning analyses revealed that low temperature and UV indexes were the most predictive meteorological factors for IV epidemics in Northern Europe. Our in vitro experiments confirmed that low temperature and UV radiation preserved IV infectivity. Associations between these meteorological factors and IV activity could improve surveillance and promote development of accurate predictive models for future influenza outbreaks in the region
Novel activities of safe-in-human broad-spectrum antiviral agents
Abstract According to the WHO, there is an urgent need for better control of viral diseases. Re-positioning existing safe-in-human antiviral agents from one viral disease to another could play a pivotal role in this process. Here, we reviewed all approved, investigational and experimental antiviral agents, which are safe in man, and identified 59 compounds that target at least three viral diseases. We tested 55 of these compounds against eight different RNA and DNA viruses. We found novel activities for dalbavancin against echovirus 1, ezetimibe against human immunodeficiency virus 1 and Zika virus, as well as azacitidine, cyclosporine, minocycline, oritavancin and ritonavir against Rift valley fever virus. Thus, the spectrum of antiviral activities of existing antiviral agents could be expanded towards other viral diseases.Peer reviewe
Mathematics in preschool : A qualitative study concerning preschool teachersÂŽ descriptions of the relationship between play and mathematics learning in early years
Syftet med studien Ă€r att bidra med kunskap om hur nĂ„gra förskollĂ€rare beskriver relationen mellan barns lek och deras tidiga lĂ€rande i matematik. Ur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv ses leken ha stor betydelse för barns lĂ€rande. Givet matematikens utökade plats i förskolans verksamhet och det positiva förhĂ„llandet mellan barns lek och lĂ€rande fĂ„r förskollĂ€raren stor betydelse. FrĂ„gestĂ€llningarna rör vilken matematik barnen kan lĂ€ra sig i leken, den egna rollen i leken med avseende pĂ„ lĂ€rande i matematik och pedagogiska utmaningar med att anvĂ€nda barns lek för att stimulera deras lĂ€rande i matematik. Vi har utfört en kvalitativ studie baserad pĂ„ semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex förskollĂ€rare. Resultaten visar att förskollĂ€raren behöver vara öppen för att se matematiken i barns lek. Fri och styrd lek behövs dĂ„ det ena ger förutsĂ€ttning för det andra gĂ€llande barns matematiklĂ€rande. FörskollĂ€raren kan direkt pĂ„verka inramningen av leken och skapa ett möte mellan sin och barnens förvĂ€ntan pĂ„ lĂ€randet. FörskollĂ€rarens uppmuntran samt lagom svĂ„ra frĂ„gor och utmaningar utefter barnets förkunskaper spelar roll, dĂ€r förskollĂ€rarens nĂ€rvaro och engagemang Ă€r viktiga faktorer. Ăven behöver lĂ€raren ge barnen chans att lösa matematiska problem i verkliga situationer och ge tid till eget utforskande. LĂ€roplanen anses vara en positivt bidragande ramfaktor. Barnens intresse ses som en nyckel in i lĂ€roplanen. Leken ses som ett sĂ€tt att fĂ„ med sig barnen i ett matematiklĂ€rande. FörskollĂ€raren behöver ta vara pĂ„ barnens drivkraft och vĂ€nda den till att lĂ€ra matematik
Mathematics in preschool : A qualitative study concerning preschool teachersÂŽ descriptions of the relationship between play and mathematics learning in early years
Syftet med studien Ă€r att bidra med kunskap om hur nĂ„gra förskollĂ€rare beskriver relationen mellan barns lek och deras tidiga lĂ€rande i matematik. Ur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv ses leken ha stor betydelse för barns lĂ€rande. Givet matematikens utökade plats i förskolans verksamhet och det positiva förhĂ„llandet mellan barns lek och lĂ€rande fĂ„r förskollĂ€raren stor betydelse. FrĂ„gestĂ€llningarna rör vilken matematik barnen kan lĂ€ra sig i leken, den egna rollen i leken med avseende pĂ„ lĂ€rande i matematik och pedagogiska utmaningar med att anvĂ€nda barns lek för att stimulera deras lĂ€rande i matematik. Vi har utfört en kvalitativ studie baserad pĂ„ semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex förskollĂ€rare. Resultaten visar att förskollĂ€raren behöver vara öppen för att se matematiken i barns lek. Fri och styrd lek behövs dĂ„ det ena ger förutsĂ€ttning för det andra gĂ€llande barns matematiklĂ€rande. FörskollĂ€raren kan direkt pĂ„verka inramningen av leken och skapa ett möte mellan sin och barnens förvĂ€ntan pĂ„ lĂ€randet. FörskollĂ€rarens uppmuntran samt lagom svĂ„ra frĂ„gor och utmaningar utefter barnets förkunskaper spelar roll, dĂ€r förskollĂ€rarens nĂ€rvaro och engagemang Ă€r viktiga faktorer. Ăven behöver lĂ€raren ge barnen chans att lösa matematiska problem i verkliga situationer och ge tid till eget utforskande. LĂ€roplanen anses vara en positivt bidragande ramfaktor. Barnens intresse ses som en nyckel in i lĂ€roplanen. Leken ses som ett sĂ€tt att fĂ„ med sig barnen i ett matematiklĂ€rande. FörskollĂ€raren behöver ta vara pĂ„ barnens drivkraft och vĂ€nda den till att lĂ€ra matematik
Ancient Grandeur of the Vertebrate Neuropeptide Y System Shown by the Coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae
The neuropeptide Y (NPY) family receptors and peptides have previously been characterized in several tetrapods, teleost fishes, and in a holocephalan cartilaginous fish. This has shown that the ancestral NPY system in the jawed vertebrates consisted of the peptides NPY and peptide YY (PYY) and seven G-protein-coupled receptors named Y1-Y8 (Y3 does not exist). The different vertebrate lineages have subsequently lost or gained a few receptor genes. For instance, the human genome has lost three of the seven receptors while the zebrafish has lost two and gained two receptor genes. Here we describe the NPY system of a representative of an early diverging lineage among the sarcopterygians, the West Indian Ocean coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae. The coelacanth was found to have retained all seven receptors from the ancestral jawed vertebrate. The receptors display the typical characteristics found in other vertebrates. Interestingly, the coelacanth was found to have the local duplicate of the PYY gene, called pancreatic polypeptide, previously only identified in tetrapods. Thus, this duplication took place very early in the sarcopterygian lineage, before the origin of tetrapods. These findings confirm the ancient complexity of the NPY system and show that mammals have lost more NPY receptors than any other vertebrate lineage. The coelacanth has all three peptides found in tetrapods and has retained the ancestral jawed vertebrate receptor repertoire with neither gains or losses
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