Palvelusetelin ja ostopalvelusopimuksen erot yksityiselle päiväkodille

Opinnäytetyössä on tutkittu palvelusetelin ja ostopalvelusopimuksen erojen vaikutuksia yksityiselle päiväkodille. Opinnäytetyössä on pyritty tutkimaan yksityisten päiväkotien toiminnan yleisimpien asioiden erilaisuutta ostopalvelumallissa sekä palvelusetelimallissa. Viralliset tutkimuskysymykset olivat 1) Mitä tarkoittavat ostopalvelusopimus ja palveluseteli päivähoidossa? 2) Kuinka ostopalvelusopimus ja palveluseteli vaikuttavat yksityisessä päiväkodissa? 3) Kuinka ostopalvelusopimuksen ja palvelusetelin eroavaisuudet vaikuttavat yksityiseen päiväkotiin? Työn tavoitteena oli saada selkeä kuva toimintamallien eroavaisuuksista. Työn empiiriseen osaan haastateltiin ostopalvelupäiväkodin johtajaa sekä palvelusetelipäiväkodin johtajaa. Haastattelut suoritettiin teemahaastatteluina. Haastatteluista kävi selkeästi ilmi suurimmat eroavaisuudet ostopalvelusopimuksen ja palvelusetelin välillä. Toimintaan vaikuttavia tekijöitä rajattiin kuuteen eri osa-alueeseen. Osa-alueita olivat: lasten valinta, rahalliset vaikutukset, vastuu ja valvonta, kilpailu, esiopetus, päivähoidossa olevien lasten tuen tarpeet sekä uhkat. Tuloksista käy ilmi toimintaan eniten vaikuttavat tekijät. Molemmissa malleissa oli hyviä ja huonoja puolia. Toimintaan eniten vaikuttavia eroavaisuuksia ostopalvelusopimusmallin ja palvelusetelimallin välillä olivat rahalliset vaikutukset ja kilpailu. Rahalliset vaikutukset käsiteltiin yleiseltä pohjalta opinnäytetyössä ja aihe olisi hyvä jatkotutkimuksen kohde. Pienen yksityisen päiväkodin toimintaan vaikutti paljon enemmän eroavaisuudet kuin suuren yksityisen päiväkotiketjun. Pienet yksityiset päiväkodit pysyivät parhaiten markkinoilla tarjoamalla perheille erilaista pedagogiikkaa ja erilaisia arvoja

Nonlinear dynamics of waves and modulated waves in 1D thermocapillary flows. II: Convective/absolute transitions

We present experimental results on hydrothermal waves in long and narrow 1D channels. In a bounded channel, we describe the primary and secondary instabilities leading to waves and modulated waves in terms of convective/absolute transitions. Because of on the combined effect of finite group velocity and of the presence of boundaries, the wave-patterns are non-uniform in space. We also investigate non-uniform wave-patterns observed in an annular channel in the presence of sources and sinks of hydrothermal waves. We connect our observations with the complex Ginzburg-Landau model equation in the very same way as in the first part of the paper (nlin.PS/0208029).Comment: 37 pages, 23 figures (elsart.cls + AMS extensions). Accepted in Physica D. See also companion paper "Nonlinear dynamics of waves and modulated waves in 1D thermocapillary flows. I: General presentation and periodic solutions" (nlin.PS/0208029). A version with high resolution figures is available on N.G. webpag

Prognostic biomarkers in uveal melanoma: the status quo, recent advances and future directions

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common malignant intraocular tumour in the adult population. It is a rare cancer with an incidence of nearly five cases per million inhabitants per year, which develops from the uncontrolled proliferation of melanocytes in the choroid (≈90%), ciliary body (≈6%) or iris (≈4%). Patients initially present either with symptoms like blurred vision or photopsia, or without symptoms, with the tumour being detected in routine eye exams. Over the course of the disease, metastases, which are initially dormant, develop in nearly 50% of patients, preferentially in the liver. Despite decades of intensive research, the only approach proven to mildly control disease spread are early treatments directed to ablate liver metastases, such as surgical excision or chemoembolization. However, most patients have a limited life expectancy once metastases are detected, since there are limited therapeutic approaches for the metastatic disease, including immunotherapy, which unlike in cutaneous melanoma, has been mostly ineffective for UM patients. Therefore, in order to offer the best care possible to these patients, there is an urgent need to find robust models that can accurately predict the prognosis of UM, as well as therapeutic strategies that effectively block and/or limit the spread of the metastatic disease. Here, we initially summarized the current knowledge about UM by compiling the most relevant epidemiological, clinical, pathological and molecular data. Then, we revisited the most important prognostic factors currently used for the evaluation and follow-up of primary UM cases. Afterwards, we addressed emerging prognostic biomarkers in UM, by comprehensively reviewing gene signatures, immunohistochemistry-based markers and proteomic markers resulting from research studies conducted over the past three years. Finally, we discussed the current hurdles in the field and anticipated the future challenges and novel avenues of research in UM.N.J.L. would like to thank all members of the Laboratory of Clinical and Experi-mental Pathology (LPCE), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France; and all members of the Anatomic Pathology Service, Pathology Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitario do Porto,Porto, Portugal, especially to JoseRamon Vizcaino (Head of Service), Joana Raposo Alves (Advisor ofPathology Training), Andre Coelho, David Tente and Francisca Emanuel Costa for their continuous support and help in the developmen

Association of cartilage-specific deletion of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ with abnormal endochondral ossification and impaired cartilage growth and development in a murine model

Objective Long bones develop through the strictly regulated process of endochondral ossification within the growth plate, resulting in the replacement of cartilage by bone. Defects in this process can result in skeletal abnormalities and a predisposition to degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). Studies suggest that activation of the transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is an important therapeutic target in OA. To devise PPARγ-related therapies in OA, it is critical to identify the role of this transcription factor in cartilage biology. Therefore, this study sought to determine the in vivo role of PPARγ in endochondral ossification and cartilage development, using cartilage-specific PPARγ-knockout (KO) mice. Methods Cartilage-specific PPARγ-KO mice were generated using the Cre/loxP system. Histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to assess the patterns of ossification, proliferation, differentiation, and hypertrophy of chondrocytes, skeletal organization, bone density, and calcium deposition in the KO mice. Results PPARγ-KO mice exhibited reductions in body length, body weight, length of the long bones, skeletal growth, cellularity, bone density, calcium deposition, and trabecular bone thickness, abnormal organization of the growth plate, loss of columnar organization, shorter hypertrophic zones, and delayed primary and secondary ossification. Immunohistochemical analyses for Sox9, 5-bromo-2\u27-deoxyuridine, p57, type X collagen, and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 revealed reductions in the differentiation, proliferation, and hypertrophy of chondrocytes and in vascularization of the growth plate in mutant mice. Isolated chondrocytes and cartilage explants from mutant mice showed aberrant expression of Sox9 and extracellular matrix markers, including aggrecan, type II collagen, and matrix metalloproteinase 13. In addition, chondrocytes from mutant mice exhibited enhanced phosphorylation of p38 and decreased expression of Indian hedgehog. Conclusion The presence of PPARγ is required for normal endochondral ossification and cartilage development in vivo. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology

ICM properties and AGN distribution in high-z RCS clusters

Here we discuss the X-ray properties of clusters of galaxies optically selected in the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (RCS) observed with the Chandra satellite, at redshifts 0.6 < z < 1.2. We intended to assess the evolutionary stage of optically selected high-z clusters of galaxies, performing a spectral analysis of the diffuse emission from their ICM. We also investigated the distribution of AGN in their surroundings. The background subtracted spectra were analyzed and fitted with a single temperature model to measure average ICM temperature, X-ray bolometric luminosity and Fe abundance within typical radii between 200 and 350 kpc. We also analyzed the point source number density and spatial distribution in the RCS clusters fields as a function of the X-ray flux. We detected emission for the majority of the clusters, except for three, for which we have only marginal detection at ~3 Sigma. We find that the normalization of the L-T relation for RCS clusters is a factor of ~2 lower than the one for X-ray selected clusters. We confirm that the Fe abundance in the detected objects is consistent with that of X-ray selected clusters at the same redshift. We also found an excess of low-luminosity AGN towards the center of the clusters.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Expanding distribution of lethal amphibian fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in Europe

Emerging fungal diseases can drive amphibian species to local extinction. During 2010-2016, we examined 1,921 urodeles in 3 European countries. Presence of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans at new locations and in urodeles of different species expands the known geographic and host range of the fungus and underpins its imminent threat to biodiversity

Landscape epidemiology of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans : reconciling data limitations and conservation urgency

Starting in 2010, rapid-fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) population declines in northwestern Europe heralded the emergence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), a salamander-pathogenic chytrid fungus. Bsal poses an imminent threat to global salamander diversity owing to its wide host range, high pathogenicity, and long-term persistence in ecosystems. While there is a pressing need to develop further research and conservation actions, data limitations inherent to recent pathogen emergence obscure necessary insights into Bsal disease ecology. Here, we use a hierarchical modeling framework to describe Bsal landscape epidemiology of outbreak sites in light of these methodological challenges. Using model selection and machine learning, we find that Bsal presence is associated with humid and relatively cool, stable climates. Outbreaks are generally located in areas characterized by low landscape heterogeneity and low steepness of slope. We further find an association between Bsal presence and high trail density, suggesting that human-mediated spread may increase risk for spillover between populations. We then use distribution modeling to show that favorable conditions occur in lowlands influenced by the North Sea, where increased survey effort is needed to determine how Bsal impacts local newt populations, but also in hill- and mountain ranges in northeastern France and the lower half of Germany. Finally, connectivity analyses suggest that these hill- and mountain ranges may act as stepping stones for further spread southward. Our results provide initial insight into regional environmental conditions underlying Bsal epizootics, present updated invasibility predictions for northwestern Europe, and lead us to discuss a wide variety of potential survey and research actions needed to advance future conservation and mitigation efforts

First high-resolution detection of a warm absorber in the Broad Line Radio Galaxy 3C 382

Recent high-resolution measurements suggest that the soft X-ray spectrum of obscured Radio Galaxies (RG) exhibits signatures of photoionised gas (e.g. 3C 445 and 3C 33) similar to those observed in radio-quiet obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). While signatures of warm absorbing gas covering a wide range of temperature and ionisation states have been detected in about one half of the population of nearby Seyfert 1 galaxies, no traces of warm absorber gas have been reported to date in the high-resolution spectra of Broad Line Radio Galaxies (BLRG). We present here the first detection of a soft X-ray warm absorber in the powerful FRII BLRG 3C 382 using the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on-board XMM-Newton. The absorption gas appears to be highly ionised, with column density of the order of 10^{22} cm^{-2}, ionisation parameter log\xi>2 erg cm s^{-1} and outflow velocities of the order of 10^{3} km s^{-1}. The absorption lines may come from regions located outside the torus, however at distances less than 60 pc. This result may indicate that a plasma ejected at velocities near the speed of light and a photoionised gas with slower, outflow velocities can coexist in the same source beyond the Broad Line Regions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter