The effect of investment in tertiary education on gross wages in the region Prague

The aim of this work is to determine whether and how higher education affects gross wages. The theoretical part focuses on the theory of human capital, especially investment in education. The theory posits that a higher investment in human capital leads to higher yield, higher wages. The validity of this concept will be tested on the group of respondents who entered the labour market at the turn of millennium. Concentration of candidates with tertiary education in this period has risen considerably, which could cause an imbalance in the labour market. The practical part is based on the work of Mincer (1974). I used Mincer Earnings Function as a basis to build regression model. Partial aim is to prove the declining rate of return on investment in tertiary education using Mincer Equation

The effect of investment in tertiary education on gross wages in the region Prague

Cílem této bakalářské práce je zjistit, zda a jakým způsobem vysokoškolské vzdělání ovlivňuje výši hrubé mzdy. V teoretické části se zaměřím na teorii lidského kapitálu, především pak investice do vzdělání. Teorie předpokládá, že s vyšší investicí do lidského kapitálu jednotlivec dosahuje i vyššího výnosu, vyšší mzdy. Platnost tohoto konceptu se pokusím ověřit na skupině respondentů, kteří vstoupili na trh práce na přelomu tisíciletí. Koncentrace uchazečů o pracovní místa s terciálním vzděláním v tomto období výrazně stoupla, což mohlo vyvolat nerovnováhu na trhu práce. Praktická část vychází z práce Mincera (1974). Použiji jeho výdělkovou funkci jako základ pro sestavení regresního modelu. Dílčím cílem je prokázání klesající míry návratnosti investice do terciálního vzdělání za využití metody funkce příjmů.The aim of this work is to determine whether and how higher education affects gross wages. The theoretical part focuses on the theory of human capital, especially investment in education. The theory posits that a higher investment in human capital leads to higher yield, higher wages. The validity of this concept will be tested on the group of respondents who entered the labour market at the turn of millennium. Concentration of candidates with tertiary education in this period has risen considerably, which could cause an imbalance in the labour market. The practical part is based on the work of Mincer (1974). I used Mincer Earnings Function as a basis to build regression model. Partial aim is to prove the declining rate of return on investment in tertiary education using Mincer Equation

Reptiles and mammals of Fitzroy Island, Queensland

Volume: 49Start Page: 733End Page: 73

Safety and immunogenicity studies in animal models support clinical development of a bivalent norovirus-like particle vaccine produced in plants

Noroviruses (NoV) are the leading cause of epidemic acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. A safe and effective vaccine that prevents NoV infection or minimizes NoV disease burden is needed, especially for children and the elderly who are particularly susceptible to NoV disease. A plant-based expression system (magnICON®) was used to manufacture two different virus-like particle (VLP) immunogens derived from human NoV genogroups I and II, genotype 4 (GI.4 and GII.4), which were subsequently blended 1:1 (w/w) into a bivalent vaccine composition (rNV-2v). Here, we report on the safety and immunogenicity of rNV-2v from one pilot and two GLP-compliant toxicity studies in New Zealand White rabbits administered the vaccine subcutaneously (SC) or intramuscularly (IM). Strong genogroup-specific immune responses were induced by vaccination without adjuvant at various doses (200 to 400 μg VLP/administration) and administration schedules (Days 1 and 7; or Days 1, 15 and 29). The results showed sporadic local irritation at the injection site, which resolved over time, and was non-adverse and consistent with expected reactogenicity. There were no signs of systemic toxicity related to vaccine administration relative to vehicle-treated controls with respect to clinical chemistry, haematology, organ weights, macroscopic examinations, or histopathology. In a 3-administration regimen (n + 1 the clinical regimen), the NOAEL for rNV-2v via the SC or IM route was initially determined to be 200 μg. An improved GI.4 VLP variant mixed 1:1 (w/w) with the wild-type GII.4 VLP was subsequently evaluated via the IM route at a higher dose in the same 3-administration model, and the NOAEL was raised to 300 µg. Serology performed in samples of both toxicity studies showed significant and substantial anti-VLP-specific antibody titers for rNV-2v vaccines administered via the IM or SC route, as well as relevant NoV blocking antibody responses. These results support initiation of clinical development of the plant-made NoV vaccine.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Effect of adjuvant radiotherapy in elderly patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND:Radiotherapy (RT) is of critical importance in the locoregional management of early breast cancer. Although RT is routinely used following breast conserving surgery (BCS), patients may occasionally be effectively treated with BCS alone. Currently, the selection of patients undergoing BCS who do not need breast irradiation is under investigation. With the advancement of personalized medicine, there is an increasing interest in reduction of aggressive treatments especially in older women. The primary objective of this study was to identify elderly patients who may forego breast irradiation after BCS without measurable consequences on local tumor growth and survival. METHODS:We analyzed 2384 early breast cancer patients aged 70 and older who were treated in 17 German certified breast cancer centers between 2001 and 2009. We compared RT versus no RT after guideline adherent (GA) BCS. The outcomes studied were breast cancer recurrence (RFS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). Low-risk patients were defined by luminal A, tumor size T1 or T2 and node-negative whereas higher-risk patients were defined by patients with G3 or T3/T4 or node-positive or other than Luminal A tumors. To test if there is a difference between two or more survival curves, we used the Gp family of tests of Harrington and Fleming. RESULTS:The median age was 77 yrs (mean 77.6±5.6 y) and the median observation time 46 mths (mean 48.9±24.8 mths). 950 (39.8%) patients were low-risk and 1434 (60.2%) were higher-risk. 1298 (54.4%) patients received GA BCS of which 85.0% (1103) received GA-RT and only 15% (195) did not. For low-risk patients with GA-BCS there were no significant differences in RFS (log rank p = 0.651) and in BCSS (p = 0.573) stratified by GA-RT. 5 years RFS in both groups were > 97%. For higher-risk patients with GA-BCS we found a significant difference (p<0.001) in RFS and tumor-associated OS stratified by GA-RT. The results remain the same after adjusting by adjuvant systemic treatment (AST) and comorbidity (ASA and NYHA). CONCLUSIONS:Patients aged 70 years and older suffering from low-risk early breast cancer with GA-BCS can avoid breast irradiation with <3% chance of relapse. In the case of higher-risk, breast irradiation should be used routinely following GA-BCS. As a side effect of these results, removing the entire breast of elderly low risk patients to spare them from breast irradiation seems to be not necessary

The impact of breast cancer biological subtyping on tumor size assessment by ultrasound and mammography - a retrospective multicenter cohort study of 6543 primary breast cancer patients

Background Mammography and ultrasound are the gold standard imaging techniques for preoperative assessment and for monitoring the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Maximum accuracy in predicting pathological tumor size non-invasively is critical for individualized therapy and surgical planning. We therefore aimed to assess the accuracy of tumor size measurement by ultrasound and mammography in a multicentered health services research study. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from 6543 patients with unifocal, unilateral primary breast cancer. The maximum tumor diameter was measured by ultrasound and/or mammographic imaging. All measurements were compared to final tumor diameter determined by postoperative histopathological examination. We compared the precision of each imaging method across different patient subgroups as well as the method-specific accuracy in each patient subgroup. Results Overall, the correlation with histology was 0.61 for mammography and 0.60 for ultrasound. Both correlations were higher in pT2 cancers than in pT1 and pT3. Ultrasound as well as mammography revealed a significantly higher correlation with histology in invasive ductal compared to lobular cancers (p < 0.01). For invasive lobular cancers, the mammography showed better correlation with histology than ultrasound (p = 0.01), whereas there was no such advantage for invasive ductal cancers. Ultrasound was significantly superior for HR negative cancers (p < 0.001). HER2/neu positive cancers were also more precisely assessed by ultrasound (p < 0.001). The size of HER2/neu negative cancers could be more accurately predicted by mammography (p < 0.001). Conclusion This multicentered health services research approach demonstrates that predicting tumor size by mammography and ultrasound provides accurate results. Biological tumor features do, however, affect the diagnostic precision