Education as an export industry: the case of New Zealand

This paper discusses New Zealand's role in the global market for tertiary education. The internationalization and liberalization of education markets is progressing rapidly in today's globalizing world, as reflected by the incorporation of education as a service into the GATS framework. Through the example of New Zealand as a case study for internationalization of education services, the study depicts the way government is involved in this process. Commodification of sectors traditionally subject to domestic public policy is often associated with a less interventionist state, but our example of education shows that this is not necessarily the case, at least in the medium-term: New Zealand's government rather appears to be an active facilitator of the liberalization process in education. We review its recent move towards treating education as an international export good and present data on the growth of this industry. The paper concentrates on the particular ways by which New Zealand's government is trying to facilitate this process of liberalizing the education sector. --

Occupational injuries to senior farmers in Sweden

The prevailing demographic change in the western world means that the workforce is becoming older. Farmers in particular often work beyond the normal retirement age, in a challenging physical environment. For example, the agricultural sector has the most hazardous work environment in Sweden. Therefore, it is interesting to examine the following questions: Are senior farmers more frequently involved in work-related injuries? Do some injuries happen more often in the oldest age group? Which part of the body is most frequently affected in different age groups? What can be done to decrease the risk of injury in senior farmer

A statistical approach to detect cheating interviewers

Survey data are potentially affected by cheating interviewers. Even a small number of fabricated interviews might seriously impair the results of further empirical analysis. Besides reinterviews some statistical approaches have been proposed for identifying fabrication of interviews. As a novel toolin this context, cluster and discriminant analysis are used. Several indicators are combined to classify 'at risk' interviewers based solely on the collected data. An application to a dataset with known cases of cheating interviewers demonstrates that the methods are able to identify the cheating interviewers with a high probability. The multivariate classiffication is superior to the application of a singleindicator such as Benford's law. --cheating interviewers,Benford's law,cluster analysis,data fabrication

Ultrastructure and localization of Neorickettsia in adult digenean trematodes provides novel insights into helminth-endobacteria interaction

Abstract Background Neorickettsia are a group of intracellular α proteobacteria transmitted by digeneans (Platyhelminthes, Trematoda). These endobacteria can also infect vertebrate hosts of the helminths and cause serious diseases in animals and humans. Neorickettsia have been isolated from infected animals and maintained in cell cultures, and their morphology in mammalian cells has been described. However, limited information is available on the morphology and localization of Neorickettsia in the trematode host. Methods We used a Neorickettsia-infected strain of the model trematode Plagiorchis elegans to infect Syrian Golden hamsters to produce adult worms. Ultrastructure of Neorickettsia was assessed by transmission electron microscopy of high pressure freezing/freeze substitution fixed specimens. A Neorickettsia surface protein from P. elegans (PeNsp-3) was cloned and antibodies against the recombinant protein were used to localize Neorickettsia by immunohistochemistry. Results Ultrastructural analysis revealed moderate numbers of pleomorphic endobacteria with a median size of 600 × 400 nm and characteristic double membranes in various tissue types. Endobacteria showed tubular membrane invaginations and secretion of polymorphic vesicles. Endobacteria were unevenly localized as single cells, or less frequently as small morula-like clusters in the ovary, Mehlis’ gland, vitelline follicles, uterus, intrauterine eggs, testis, cirrus-sac, tegument, intestine and the oral and ventral sucker. Examination of hamster small intestine infected with P. elegans showed many endobacteria at the host-parasite interface such as the oral and ventral sucker, the tegument and the excretory pore. Conclusions We conclude that adult P. elegans trematodes carry Neorickettsia endobacteria in varying numbers in many tissue types that support vertical transmission, trematode to trematode transmission via seminal fluid, and possibly horizontal transmission from trematodes to vertebrate hosts. These means appear to be novel mechanisms of pathogen transmission by endoparasitic worms

Information acquisition and decision making in committees: a survey

JEL Classification: D71, E52Committees, costly information acquisition, monetary policy committees, strategic voting

Agronomic evaluation of bone char as phosphorus fertiliser after five years of consecutive application

Knochenkohle (BC), hergestellt mittels einer technischen Pyrolyse von entfetteten Tierknochen aus Schlachtabfällen, könnte ein vielversprechender Phosphor (P) Recyc­lingdünger sein. Agronomische Bewertungen aus Langzeitversuchen fehlen jedoch bisher. Phosphor in BC (15% P) ist überwiegend in Strukturen ähnlich dem Hydroxy­lapatit (HA) gebunden. Es kann davon ausgegangen werden, dass in HA gebundener P aufgrund geringer Löslichkeit keine große Düngewirkung erzielt. Eine bessere Löslichkeit wird von Schwefel angereicherter BC (BCplus) erwar­tet.2013 wurde ein Feldversuch angelegt, um das Düngepotenzial von BC und BCplus im Vergleich zu P0 und Triple Superphosphat (TSP) zu testen. In Abhängigkeit der durchschnittlichen PCAL-Konzentration im Boden (0–30 cm) wurden Parzellen den Boden-P-Gehaltsklasse A (11 mg kg–1 PCAL), B (21 mg kg–1 PCAL), und C (47 mg kg–1 PCAL) zugeordnet. In Boden-P-Gehaltklasse A stieg der mittlere Relativertrag kumuliert für die erste Fruchtfolge (Wintergerste, Winterraps, Winterweizen, Lupine, Winterroggen) in der Reihenfolge P0 (90 %) < BC (94 %) < BCplus (95 %) < TSP (100 %) an. Die relative P-Auf­nahme (Korn) wurde durch die Düngevarianten in Boden-P-Gehaltsklasse A in der Reihenfolge P0 (81 %) < BC (88 %) < BCplus (91 %) < TSP (100 %) und in Klasse B von P0 (84 %) < BCplus (90 %) < BC (92 %) < TSP (100 %) beeinflusst. Bei ausreichender P-Versorgung (Boden-P-Gehaltsklasse C) wurde im Fruchtfolgemittel kein Dünger­einfluss auf die Ertragsbildung und die P-Auf­nahme beobachtet. Die PCAL-Konzentration im Boden wurde ausschließlich durch die Anwendung von TSP erhöht. Ausgehend von einer ausreichenden P-Versorgung (Boden-P-Gehaltsklasse C) werden weitere Versuchsjahre zeigen, ob Knochenkohlen in der Lage sind, die Nährstoffversorgung von Kulturpflanzen mit P langfristig zu gewährleisten.Bone char (BC), pyrolyzed defatted bones from slaughterhouse waste, may be a promising secondary raw material to produce phosphorus (P) fertiliser, but its agronomic value has not yet been shown in longer-term field experi­ments. Phosphorus in BC (15 % P) is mainly bound in a structure similar to hydroxylapatite (HA). Generally, P in HA is of low solubility and, consequently, it can be expected that bones or BC have a low fertilisation value. Better solubility of P is expected from BC enriched with sulphur (BCplus). In 2013, a field experiment was established to test the fertilisation potential of BC and BCplus compared to a control (P0) and triple super phosphate (TSP) treatment. According to their mean PCAL concentrations (0–30 cm) plots were assigned to the initial soil P-test class (iSPTC) A (11 mg kg–1 PCAL), B (21 mg kg–1 PCAL), and C (47 mg kg–1 PCAL). After a first crop rotation an increased cumulative yield was determined for iSPTC-A depending on the fertiliser treatment with means of relative yield of P0 (90 %) < BC (94 %) < BCplus (95 %) < TSP (100 %). Effects on the relative P uptake of grain in iSPTC-A depending on the fertiliser treatment were in the order of P0 (81 %) < BC (88 %) < BCplus (91 %) < TSP (100 %) and in iSPTC-B of P0 (84 %) < BCplus (90 %) < BC (92 %) < TSP (100 %). Fertiliser treatments had no effect on mean yield and P uptake in the first crop rotation if initially sufficient soil P (iSPTC-C) was available. An increase of PCAL concentrations was only achieved by TSP fertilisation. Future experimental years will show, if BC fertilisers are able to maintain sufficient P availability to crops in the long term