Improving women's access to higher education : a review of World Bank project experience

World Bank project experience on what works to improve women's access to tertiary education is so limited that it may be premature to draw firm conclusions. Many of the projects with interesting multiple interventions are ongoing. But two conclusions emerge. First, the most essential factor for successful intervention seems to be a strong demand for educated women in the labor market combined with a high private demand for higher education by women (and their parents). How well a project succeeds depends on the extent to which project components are sensitive to the local situation in terms of these factors. Projects with often only a single intervention were successful in societies where the formal labor market is growing and there are few social constraints or qualifications to inhibit women's participation. Projects with single interventions are unlikely to succeed with such pervasive social factors as low secondary enrollment rates for women, high direct costs for female education, and heavy cultural restrictions in the labor market. Second, the link between programs offered and labor market demands is critical. High secondary enrollment rates, heavy private demand for women's education, and the availability of student places do not necessarily guarantee an increase in women's participation in higher education - unless the programs are dovetailed to meet the specific demands of the labor market. It is not enough to overcome social barriers through policy interventions. Projects must take an integrated view of social and labor market constraints. The Bank seems to be moving in a positive direction as more projects are addressing and taking action against gender inequities today than they did in the 1970s. Of the projects introducing gender-specific interventions, 62 percent were developed in the past five years (1987-92). Some recent Bank projects have multiple, interrelated interventions. Initial project results indicate that this combined (package) approach, made country-specific, could well increase female participation in higher education.Primary Education,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Teaching and Learning,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Curriculum&Instruction

The effect of erythropoietin on biomechanical properties of the Achilles tendon during the healing process: an experimental study

Tensile test data. (XLSX 10 kb

Volume CXIV, Number 4, November 7, 1996

Objective: Turner syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder caused by complete or partial X chromosome monosomy that manifests various clinical features depending on the karyotype and on the genetic background of affected girls. This study aimed to systematically investigate the key clinical features of TS in relationship to karyotype in a large pediatric Turkish patient population.Methods: Our retrospective study included 842 karyotype-proven TS patients aged 0-18 years who were evaluated in 35 different centers in Turkey in the years 2013-2014.Results: The most common karyotype was 45,X (50.7%), followed by 45,X/46,XX (10.8%), 46,X,i(Xq) (10.1%) and 45,X/46,X,i(Xq) (9.5%). Mean age at diagnosis was 10.2±4.4 years. The most common presenting complaints were short stature and delayed puberty. Among patients diagnosed before age one year, the ratio of karyotype 45,X was significantly higher than that of other karyotype groups. Cardiac defects (bicuspid aortic valve, coarctation of the aorta and aortic stenosis) were the most common congenital anomalies, occurring in 25% of the TS cases. This was followed by urinary system anomalies (horseshoe kidney, double collector duct system and renal rotation) detected in 16.3%. Hashimoto's thyroiditis was found in 11.1% of patients, gastrointestinal abnormalities in 8.9%, ear nose and throat problems in 22.6%, dermatologic problems in 21.8% and osteoporosis in 15.3%. Learning difficulties and/or psychosocial problems were encountered in 39.1%. Insulin resistance and impaired fasting glucose were detected in 3.4% and 2.2%, respectively. Dyslipidemia prevalence was 11.4%.Conclusion: This comprehensive study systematically evaluated the largest group of karyotype-proven TS girls to date. The karyotype distribution, congenital anomaly and comorbidity profile closely parallel that from other countries and support the need for close medical surveillance of these complex patients throughout their lifespa

Bacteriocinogenic Potential of Enterococcus faecium Isolated from Wine

A total of 145 lactic acid bacteria isolated from a variety of Turkish red wines during malolactic fermentation were screened to find bacteriocin-producing strains. Among them, 14 isolates of Enterococcus faecium were identified to produce bacteriocins. PCR screening revealed that some isolates harbored entA and entB genes while some harbored entA, entB and entP genes. An isolate designated as Ent. faecium H46 was selected to characterize its bacteriocins. The bacteriocins were purified to homogeneity from culture supernatant by Amberlite XAD-16, cation-exchange and reverse-phase chromatography. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis identified the bacteriocins as enterocin A and enterocin B. The presence of Ent. faecium is noteworthy since it is not associated with wine fermentation. However, it has been reported as an important wine spoilage organism due to its potential to produce tyramine. Although species of Enterococcus is not known as wine bacteria, contamination by Ent. faecium may arise from grapes or wineries equipments used for wine production

Equity, quality and efficiency effects of reform in Turkish higher education

This paper summarizes the major findings of recent studies dealing with the equity, quality, and internal efficiency effects of higher education reform in Turkey. It uses these findings to examine whether public policies formulated by the central government in 1982, in fact made progress on their intended purposes. Such information should assist policy makers in Turkey to better understand tradeoffs in terms of costs and outcomes between equity policies and points of quality and internal efficiency

Purification and characterization of a bacteriocin from an oenological strain of Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp cremoris

Malolactic fermentation (MLF), which improves organoleptic properties and biologic stability of some wines, may cause wine spoilage if uncontrolled. Bacteriocins were reported as efficient preservatives to control MLF through their bactericidal effect on malolactic bacteria. Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris W3 isolated from wine produces an inhibitory substance that is bactericidal against malolactic bacteria in model wine medium. Treatment of the culture supernatant of strain W3 with proteases eliminated the inhibitory activity, which proved that it is a true bacteriocin and we tentatively termed it mesentericin W3. The bacteriocin inhibited the growth of food-borne pathogenic bacteria such as Enterococcus faecalis, Listeria monocytogenes, and malolactic bacteria. It was active over a wide pH range and stable to organic solvents and heat. Mesentericin W3 was purified to homogeneity by a pH-mediated cell adsorption-desorption method, cation exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and reverse-phase chromatography. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectroscopy (MS) and partial amino acid sequence analysis revealed that mesentericin W3 was identical to mesentericin Y105

Dimensional Stability of Fire-Retardant-Treated Laminated Veneer Lumber

Test of fire-retardant-treated (FRT) laminated veneer lumber (LVL) indicated moisture gain under adsorption and moisture loss under desorption conditions. The moisture content of FRT specimens increased considerably under adsorption conditions compared with control specimens, while it was not found to be a significant difference under desorption conditions. The statistical findings revealed that impregnation with chemical salts had significant effects on the expansion properties. Fire-retardant treatment also had meaningful effects on the swelling properties. However, the expansion and swelling properties of the LVL were not affected significantly by the veneer drying temperature. Generally, equilibrium moisture content of LVL decreased with increasing veneer drying temperature. The interactions between fire-retardant chemicals and veneer drying temperature were also found to be insignificant