331 research outputs found
Achieving equity through 'gender autonomy': the challenges for VET policy and practice
This paper is based on research carried out in an EU Fifth Framework project on 'Gender and Qualification'. The research partners from five European countries investigated the impact of gender segregation in European labour markets on vocational education and training, with particular regard to competences and qualifications. The research explored the part played by gender in the vocational education and training experiences of (i) young adults entering specific occupations in child care, electrical engineering and food preparation/service (ii) adults changing occupations
On the boundary of the dispersion-managed soliton existence
A breathing soliton-like structure in dispersion-managed (DM) optical fiber
system is studied. It is proven that for negative average dispersion the
breathing soliton is forbidden provided that a modulus of average dispersion
exceed a threshold which depends on the soliton amplitude.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, to appear in JETP Lett. 72, #3 (2000
Leading Order Temporal Asymptotics of the Modified Non-Linear Schrodinger Equation: Solitonless Sector
Using the matrix Riemann-Hilbert factorisation approach for non-linear
evolution equations (NLEEs) integrable in the sense of the inverse scattering
method, we obtain, in the solitonless sector, the leading-order asymptotics as
tends to plus and minus infinity of the solution to the Cauchy
initial-value problem for the modified non-linear Schrodinger equation: also
obtained are analogous results for two gauge-equivalent NLEEs; in particular,
the derivative non-linear Schrodinger equation.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX, revised version of the original
submission, to be published in Inverse Problem
Vaccination against Bm86 Homologues in Rabbits Does Not Impair Ixodes ricinus Feeding or Oviposition
Human tick-borne diseases that are transmitted by Ixodes ricinus, such as Lyme
borreliosis and tick borne encephalitis, are on the rise in Europe.
Diminishing I. ricinus populations in nature can reduce tick exposure to
humans, and one way to do so is by developing an anti-vector vaccine against
tick antigens. Currently, there is only one anti-vector vaccine available
against ticks, which is a veterinary vaccine based on the tick antigen Bm86 in
the gut of Rhipicephalus microplus. Bm86 vaccine formulations cause a
reduction in the number of Rhipicephalus microplus ticks that successfully
feed, i.e. lower engorgement weights and a decrease in the number of
oviposited eggs. Furthermore, Bm86 vaccines reduce transmission of bovine
Babesia spp. Previously two conserved Bm86 homologues in I. ricinus ticks,
designated as Ir86-1 and Ir86-2, were described. Here we investigated the
effect of a vaccine against recombinant Ir86-1, Ir86-2 or a combination of
both on Ixodes ricinus feeding. Recombinant Ixodes ricinus Bm86 homologues
were expressed in a Drosophila expression system and rabbits were immunized
with rIr86-1, rIr86-2, a combination of both or ovalbumin as a control. Each
animal was infested with 50 female adults and 50 male adults Ixodes ricinus
and tick mortality, engorgement weights and egg mass were analyzed. Although
serum IgG titers against rIr86 proteins were elicited, no effect was found on
tick feeding between the rIr86 vaccinated animals and ovalbumin vaccinated
animals. We conclude that vaccination against Bm86 homologues in Ixodes
ricinus is not an effective approach to control Ixodes ricinus populations,
despite the clear effects of Bm86 vaccination against Rhipicephalus microplus
Potential role of ticks as vectors of bluetongue virus
When the first outbreak of bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV8) was recorded in North-West Europe in August 2006 and renewed outbreaks occurred in the summer of 2007 and again in 2008, the question was raised how the virus survived the winter. Since most adult Culicoides vector midges are assumed not to survive the northern European winter, and transovarial transmission in Culicoides is not recorded, we examined the potential vector role of ixodid and argasid ticks for bluetongue virus. Four species of ixodid ticks (Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus, Dermacentor reticulatus and Rhipicephalus bursa) and one soft tick species, Ornithodoros savignyi, ingested BTV8-containing blood either through capillary feeding or by feeding on artificial membranes. The virus was taken up by the ticks and was found to pass through the gut barrier and spread via the haemolymph into the salivary glands, ovaries and testes, as demonstrated by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (PCR-test). BTV8 was detected in various tissues of ixodid ticks for up to 21Â days post feeding and in Ornithodoros ticks for up to 26Â days. It was found after moulting in adult Ixodes hexagonus and was also able to pass through the ovaries into the eggs of an Ornithodoros savignyi tick. This study demonstrates that ticks can become infected with bluetongue virus serotype 8. The transstadial passage in hard ticks and transovarial passage in soft ticks suggest that ticks have potential vectorial capacity for bluetongue virus. Further studies are required to investigate transmission from infected ticks to domestic livestock. This route of transmission could provide an additional clue in the unresolved mystery of the epidemiology of Bluetongue in Europe by considering ticks as a potential overwintering mechanism for bluetongue virus
Children’s experiences following a CBT intervention to reduce dental anxiety: one year on
Objective: To investigate children’s ongoing experiences of dental care and use of strategies to manage their dental anxiety following cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Design: A child self-completed postal questionnaire.
Settings: Hospital, community and general dental practice.
Subjects: Questionnaires were sent to 44 children, aged 10-17 years who had been referred to specialist services due to their dental anxiety.
Intervention: Children had all previously received a guided CBT self-help intervention to reduce their dental anxiety and, on completion of treatment, had been discharged to their referring dentist. Questionnaires were sent out 12-18 months later to ascertain dental attendance patterns and application of any strategies learnt from the previous CBT intervention.
Results: 22 responses (50%) were received from 16 girls and 6 boys. 82% had subsequently accessed follow up care with a general dental practitioner and over half of these had undergone a dental procedure, other than a check-up. 91% reported feeling less worried about dental visits, than previously, and described a change in cognition, behaviours, and feelings that allowed them to manage their anxiety better.
Conclusions: CBT has positive immediate and longitudinal effects in reducing children’s dental anxiety. The challenge of adopting this evidence-based approach within primary care settings remains
Efimov effect in quantum magnets
Physics is said to be universal when it emerges regardless of the underlying
microscopic details. A prominent example is the Efimov effect, which predicts
the emergence of an infinite tower of three-body bound states obeying discrete
scale invariance when the particles interact resonantly. Because of its
universality and peculiarity, the Efimov effect has been the subject of
extensive research in chemical, atomic, nuclear and particle physics for
decades. Here we employ an anisotropic Heisenberg model to show that collective
excitations in quantum magnets (magnons) also exhibit the Efimov effect. We
locate anisotropy-induced two-magnon resonances, compute binding energies of
three magnons and find that they fit into the universal scaling law. We propose
several approaches to experimentally realize the Efimov effect in quantum
magnets, where the emergent Efimov states of magnons can be observed with
commonly used spectroscopic measurements. Our study thus opens up new avenues
for universal few-body physics in condensed matter systems.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; published versio
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