Measuring Flexicurity: Precautionary Notes, a New Framework, and an Empirical Example

Recently, there has been an increase and abundance of literature measuring flexicurity across countries. However, there is yet to be any agreement on the definition of the key concepts of flexicurity as well as the framework in which to base one’s research. Due to this, the outcomes found in the existing studies are rather diverse, far from reaching a consensus, and can be misleading. This paper addresses the issues by first introducing a framework, namely, the various levels and stages of flexicurity, as well as introducing some key issues that should be addressed when doing flexicurity indicators research. In addition, an empirical example is given to show how the framework derived can be used to carry out flexicurity research, and to show how by not regarding these frameworks one can come to misleading outcomes

Outer membrane protein a conservation among Orientia tsutsugamushi isolates suggests its potential as a protective antigen and diagnostic target

Scrub typhus threatens one billion people in the Asia-Pacific area and cases have emerged outside this region. It is caused by infection with any of the multitude of strains of the bacterium; Orientia tsutsugamushi; . A vaccine that affords heterologous protection and a commercially-available molecular diagnostic assay are lacking. Herein, we determined that the nucleotide and translated amino acid sequences of outer membrane protein A (OmpA) are highly conserved among 51; O. tsutsugamushi; isolates. Molecular modeling revealed the predicted tertiary structure of; O. tsutsugamushi; OmpA to be very similar to that of the phylogenetically-related pathogen,; Anaplasma phagocytophilum; , including the location of a helix that contains residues functionally essential for; A. phagocytophilum; infection. PCR primers were developed that amplified; ompA; DNA from all; O. tsutsugamushi; strains, but not from negative control bacteria. Using these primers in quantitative PCR enabled sensitive detection and quantitation of; O. tsutsugamushi ompA; DNA from organs and blood of mice that had been experimentally infected with the Karp or Gilliam strains. The high degree of OmpA conservation among; O. tsutsugamushi; strains evidences its potential to serve as a molecular diagnostic target and justifies its consideration as a candidate for developing a broadly-protective scrub typhus vaccine

A cognitive-semantic analysis of the English preposition in

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN027520 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Complementarities or contradictions? Scoping the health dimensions of "Flexicurity" labor market policies

Flexicurity, or the integration of labor market flexibility with social security and active labor market policies, has figured prominently in economic and social policy discussions in Europe since the mid-1990s. Such policies are designed to transcend traditional labor-capital conflicts and to form a mutually supportive nexus of flexibility and security within a climate of intensified competition and rapid technological change. International bodies have marketed flexicurity as an innovative win-win strategy for employers and workers alike, commonly citing Denmark and the Netherlands as exemplars of best practice. In this article, we apply a social determinants of health framework to conduct a scoping review of the academic and gray literature to: (a) better understand the empirical associations between flexicurity practices and population health in Denmark and (b) assess the relevance and feasibility of implementing such policies to improve health and reduce health inequalities in Ontario, Canada. Based on 39 studies meeting our full inclusion criteria, preliminary findings suggest that flexicurity is limited as a potential health promotion strategy in Ontario, offers more risks to workers' health than benefits, and requires the strengthening of other social protections before it could be realistically implemented within a Canadian context