Employer branding in european online job days virtual recruitment events:a case study

Abstract. As Finland suffers from a lack of work force, new ways to conduct international recruitment are implemented. The Finnish government’s plan includes drastically increasing the amount international talent recruited to Finnish companies. Companies themselves also increasingly conduct international recruitment. There are projects and services available to help the process. One such service is EURES. EURES organizes online recruitment events called European Online Job Days to help companies access the European labor market as well as enable the free movement of European workers. As more and more companies start attracting foreign talent, the competition for the attention of these professionals increases. Through employer branding companies can differentiate and create attractive opportunities. The thesis introduces employer branding based on previous research and theories and applies that to investigate how Finnish companies attending the European Online Job Days events conduct employer branding and how effectively they are able to utilize the platform. Some important topics recognized were online brand communities that are formed, for example, on social media platforms. The recruitment event platform could be considered a social media platform as it includes a social aspect. Another important topic is eWOM or electronic word of mouth. Organizational culture and employee ambassadors were found to be effective in employer branding and some companies observed utilized these theories in their recruitment efforts. The thesis examines four Finnish companies attending three different online events. Another type of event attendance introduced is an info point which is a local municipality or regional development organization, with the purpose of attracting jobseekers. The thesis discovered four different engagement levels of attendance. This was based on the many of the available tools the companies used during the event day and assessing how invested the company was. There could be seen a lack of understanding how to efficiently maximize the effectiveness of the tools and how to utilize the platform effectively to conduct international recruitment. As international recruitment will become increasingly important, hiring managers, HR professionals and CEOs should utilize all available tools to maximize the reach of their recruitment efforts. Tools such as the European Online Job Days are good at reaching thousands of jobseekers and a clear trend towards increasing interest from the jobseekers’ side shows that the now is the time start using the platform. The events are free and thus they are a low-bar first step in international recruitment

Seroprevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi infections in horses: first report from Northern Bulgaria – Short communication

Lyme borreliosis, granulocytic anaplasmosis and monocytic ehrlichiosis are well studied in humans and dogs. In horses, these diseases are not widely investigated and limited information is available about their occurrence. The purpose of this study was to present the first ELISA-based report on the seroprevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi in horses from Northern Bulgaria. A total of 192 horses were investigated from three regions in Northern Bulgaria (Northwestern, North-Central and Northeastern Bulgaria). All equine sera were tested for A. phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and B. burgdorferi antibodies by a commercial rapid ELISA test. Antibodies against A. phagocytophilum were found in all the three regions at a mean frequency of 12% (23/192), ranging from 9.38 to 15.63% by region. Antibodies against Ehrlichia spp. were found in horses from one region (Northeastern) at a rate of 0.5% (1/192). Anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies were detected in all the three regions with a mean frequency of 15.1% (29/192), ranging from 14.06 to 17.19% by region. A co-exposure to A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi was observed in 6.3% of the cases (12/192). This is the first report on the natural exposure of horses to these bacteria (A. phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia spp. and B. burgdorferi) in Northern Bulgaria

Presumptive Acute Neural Toxoplasmosis in a Captive Red-Necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

A red-necked male wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) from a German zoo was presented for acute onset of severe neurological signs, including head tremor, lethargy, unresponsiveness, and weakness. Serum biochemical abnormalities included increased LDH- and AST-levels, hyperproteinaemia, and reduced ALT-, ALP-, and creatinine-levels. The wallaby was found serologically positive for Toxoplasma gondii by the indirect haemagglutination test. After initiation of therapy by subcutaneous injections of trimethoprim/sulfadoxin, amelioration of neurological signs was noted and after 10 days the affected wallaby recovered. T. gondii can be confirmed rapidly by serology, and immediate therapy may reduce clinical illness and fatality of the disease within captive macropods

Transmission of Armillifer armillatus Ova at Snake Farm, The Gambia, West Africa

Visceral pentastomiasis caused by Armillifer armillatus larvae was diagnosed in 2 dogs in The Gambia. Parasites were subjected to PCR; phylogenetic analysis confirmed relatedness with branchiurans/crustaceans. Our investigation highlights transmission of infective A. armillatus ova to dogs and, by serologic evidence, also to 1 human, demonstrating a public health concern

Estimated specific antibody‑based true sero‑prevalences of canine filariosis in dogs in Central Europe and the UK

Dirofilariosis is a vector-borne disease mainly caused by Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens. In contrast to the known endemicity of dirofilariosis in southern and south-eastern Europe, information on the distribution of D. repens in Central-Europe is fragmentary. We tested 8877 serum samples from dogs from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Switzerland and the UK using an ELISA detecting filarial-specific antibodies, hypothesising higher occurrence of D. repens. Based on two overlapping frequency distributions, presumed negative samples had a mean optical density (OD) value of 0.097, representing 97.45% of all samples. Presumed positive samples, representing 2.55% of all sera, had a mean OD value of 0.287. Test prevalence based on the calculated cut-off was 3.51% for all sera (4.36% for Austria, 1.94% for Denmark, 1.39% for Germany, 3.37% for Italy, 6.90% for Lithuania, 6.99% for Poland, 0.77% for Switzerland and 0.0% for the UK, respectively). The bimodal distribution, representing overlapping distributions of OD values from positive and negative dogs, enabled the assignment of a probability of true infection status to each dog. Mean probabilities of true infection status across groups, based on the postal codes of origin, allowed us to estimate and map true prevalences. For all countries, except the UK, the true prevalence was lower than the test prevalence. The large number of serum samples and the use of a non-gold standard analytical method allowed us to create a more realistic picture of the distribution of D. repens in Central Europe and the UK

Применимость маркеров ISAP, ISSR и SSR в селекционных программах томата

Domesticated crops are characterized by narrow genetic base reflecting one or more bottlenecks during millennia-long selection. As a result, current breeding programs are limited in available germplasm and are forced to deal with incremental improvements of yield, resistance, nutritional value, etc. Since the establishment of modern genetics and biotechnology, several new approaches have emerged to extend the genetic base and germplasm improvement. Among these methods, induced mutagenesis appeared as most useful conventional breeding tool. Although, its successful application currently requires good knowledge of modern molecular tools. In this paper we will make an attempt to overview SSR, ISSR and ISAP techniques as well as to offer examples of their application in tomato breeding programs.За время тысячелетней селекции культурные растения характеризуются зауженностью генетической основы, отражающейся в одном и нескольких эффектах "бутылочного горлышка". В результате направленной селекционной работы потенциал имеющихся генетических ресурсов становится ограниченным, и требуется дальнейшая работа по поиску генресурсов для улучшения урожайности, устойчивости, пищевой ценности и т.д. С открытием современных методов генетики и биотехнологии некоторые достижения уже используются для улучшения потенциального использование генетических ресурсов. Среди этих методов индуцированный мутагенез можно рассматривать как наиболее полезный для традиционной селекции, хотя его широкое использование требует хороших знаний в области современных молекулярных технологий. В данной публикации мы сделали обзор по использованию SSR, ISSR и ISAP методов и привели примеры их конкретного применения в селекции томата

Detection of Leptospira DNA in urine and presence of specific antibodies in outdoor cats in Germany

Objectives Clinical manifestation of infection with Leptospira species in cats is rare. Nevertheless, cats can develop specific antibodies against the spirochetes after infection. In Canada, Taiwan and the USA it was recently demonstrated that naturally infected cats can also shed DNA from pathogenic Leptospira species in their urine, but the zoonotic potential of infected cats is still unclear. The objective of this study was to demonstrate if outdoor cats in Germany shed DNA from pathogenic Leptospira species in their urine. As a second aim, antibody prevalence was determined. Methods Two hundred and fifteen outdoor cats were prospectively recruited. Urine samples were tested by realtime PCR targeting the lipL32 gene of pathogenic Leptospira species. Antibody titres against eight serovars (Australis, Autumnalis, Bratislava, Canicola, Copenhageni, Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Saxkoebing) belonging to seven serogroups (Australis, Autumnalis, Canicola, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, Sejroe) were determined by microscopic agglutination test. Results Urine samples from 7/215 cats (3.3%;95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9-5.7) were PCR-positive. Specific antibodies were detected in 35/195 cats (17.9%;95% CI: 12.5-23.3) with titres ranging from 1:100 to 1:6400. Australis, Bratislava and Grippotyphosa were the most common serovars. Conclusions and relevance Outdoor cats in Germany can shed DNA from pathogenic Leptospira species. Therefore, outdoor cats should be considered as a possible source of infection for dogs or humans. Further studies are needed to determine the role of Leptospira species as a cause of disease in cats

Symmetrical Dimethylarginine as a Diagnostic Parameter in Hermann's Tortoises (Testudo hermanni)

BackgroundDespite improvements in habitational conditions, kidney disease is relatively common in tortoises. ObjectivesPurpose of this study was the establishment of Symmetrical dimethylarginine (SDMA) reference values for clinically healthy Hermann's Tortoises. AnimalsClinically healthy Hermann's Tortoises (n = 131) were included in the period from October 2017 to September 2019. MethodsCreatinine and other biomarkers were tested at IDEXX Laboratories, Germany using residual blood samples from Hermann's tortoises. SDMA was measured with the IDEXX test and verified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry at IDEXX Laboratories, USA. ResultsSDMA values ranged from 1 to 21 mu g/dl (n = 131) for the IDEXX SDMA Test and SDMA values ranged from 1 to 17 mu g/dl (n = 82) for LC-MS. For the comparison of the two measuring systems, the following results were obtained R-2 = 0.75 (p < 0.001). Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceSDMA can be measured in Hermann's Tortoises and the reference values range in clinically healthy animals is comparable to that of dogs and cats

Strongyloides stercoralis infection in dogs in Austria: two case reports.

BACKGROUND Strongyloides stercoralis is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, but reports of infections in central and northern Europe have been recently increasing. Infections occur mainly in humans and dogs. In dogs, both dog-adapted and zoonotic S. stercoralis genotypes seem to occur. Clinical manifestations mainly include gastrointestinal and respiratory signs. The severity of the disease can vary greatly and depends on the immune status of the host. The infection is potentially fatal in immunosuppressed individuals, either medically induced or due to an underlying disease, in which hyperinfections and disseminated infections with extraintestinal parasite dissemination may occur. METHODS Diagnosis was based on coproscopy, including flotation and the Baermann funnel technique, histology of small intestinal biopsies and molecular analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and hypervariable regions I and IV (HVR I and HVR IV) of the nuclear 18S rDNA loci. RESULTS Two independent cases of severe canine S. stercoralis infection in Austria are presented. In both cases, S. stercoralis was detected in histological sections of the small intestine and with the Baermann funnel technique. Molecular analysis revealed strains with zoonotic potential. Case 1 was a 1-year-old female French bulldog with a long history of respiratory and gastrointestinal signs, severe emaciation and apathy before S. stercoralis infection was diagnosed. Treatment with moxidectin (2.5 mg/kg body weight [BW], oral route) did not eliminate the infection, but treatment with ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg BW, subcutaneously) was successful. Case 2 consisted of two 2-month-old Pomeranian puppies, one female and one male, from a litter of four, which died soon after presenting dyspnoea and haemorrhagic diarrhoea (female) or torticollis (male); S. stercoralis infection was first diagnosed post-mortem. CONCLUSION More attention should be paid to this nematode because although it appears to be rare in Austria, it is easily overlooked on standard coproscopy unless a Baermann funnel technique is used, and even then, it can be missed. Moxidectin is not always successful in eliminating the infection, and treatment with ivermectin should be considered in cases of infection