Religious vs Secular volunteering motivations: A study on European elders

The reality of volunteering is highly complex. This concept is difficult to define and typify because of the great variety of interpretations, motivations, socio-demographic variables and cultural aspects that shape the volunteer profile. This work aims to analyze the differential and inter-related impact of socio-demographic and contextual variables, and cultural values on elder volunteer profile in Europe. We thus conduct an empirical study involving the use of a logistic regression model that shows, in probabilistic terms, traits that characterize senior and retired volunteers. Further, we study which variables motivate senior volunteers to a determined type of volunteering. Results from the European Value Study help to explain variable influence on volunteering and confirm that cultural values impact among elder people, both, election to volunteering activities and decisions regarding which kind of activity volunteers are drawn to. By analyzing two types of volunteering (religious and secular) that are supposed to be motivated by different forces, we conclude that certain values encourage religious volunteering while others stimulate secular volunteering

Religious vs Secular volunteering motivations: A study on European elders

The reality of volunteering is highly complex. This concept is difficult to define and typify because of the great variety of interpretations, motivations, socio-demographic variables and cultural aspects that shape the volunteer profile. This work aims to analyze the differential and inter-related impact of socio-demographic and contextual variables, and cultural values on elder volunteer profile in Europe. We thus conduct an empirical study involving the use of a logistic regression model that shows, in probabilistic terms, traits that characterize senior and retired volunteers. Further, we study which variables motivate senior volunteers to a determined type of volunteering. Results from the European Value Study help to explain variable influence on volunteering and confirm that cultural values impact among elder people, both, election to volunteering activities and decisions regarding which kind of activity volunteers are drawn to. By analyzing two types of volunteering (religious and secular) that are supposed to be motivated by different forces, we conclude that certain values encourage religious volunteering while others stimulate secular volunteering

Paisaje y gestión de los recursos vegetales en el yacimiento romano de Gabia (Granada) a través de la Arqueobotánica

Anthracological and carpological findings are presented for the Roman villa of Gabia, which gives us important knowledge concerning the exploitation of the environment and the diverse use of plant resources. The results confirm the existence of a strongly humanized landscape, with relatively open vegetation where shrubby and thicket species have great importance, with the Holm oak and the Aleppo pine being the representatives of the tree stratum. Crops would predominate the setting, where cereals, i.e. barley and glumeless wheat, occupying land reclaimed from the forest, while legumes such as chick-peas, lentils, grass peas, sweet peas, and fava beans were also cultivated. The fuel for fireplaces came from wood gathered from the forest as well as the remains from pruning cultivated trees. For the construction of posts and beams, large trees were used, these offering long, straight logs in the case of pines and elms, and branches of great strength such as walnut and Holm oak. For the construction of roofs, shrub species were used: common junipers, legumes, broom, and rosemary.<br><br>Se presentan los resultados obtenidos por la antracología y la carpología en la villa romana de Gabia, que nos dan un importante conocimiento sobre la explotación del medio y del uso de los recursos vegetales utilizados con diversas finalidades. Estos resultados confirman la existencia de un paisaje fuertemente antropizado, con una vegetación relativamente abierta donde tienen una gran importancia las especies arbustivas y de matorral, quedando sólo la encina y el pino carrasco como representantes del estrato arbóreo. Los cultivos predominarían en el entorno, siendo los cereales, con el trigo desnudo y la cebada vestida, los que ocuparían parte de las tierras ganadas al bosque, desarrollándose también leguminosas como garbanzos, lentejas, guijas, guisantes y habas. El combustible para los hogares provenía tanto de leña recogida en el bosque, como de los deshechos de las podas de los árboles cultivados. Para la construcción de postes y vigas se recurre a árboles de gran porte, que pueden ofrecer leños rectos y largos, caso de los pinos y el olmo y ramas de gran resistencia como son el nogal y la encina; mientras que para la construcción de los techos se utilizan especies arbustivas: enebros, leguminosas, retama y romero

Generating hepatic cell lineages from pluripotent stem cells for drug toxicity screening

Hepatotoxicity is an enormous and increasing problem for the pharmaceutical industry. Early detection of problems during the drug discovery pathway is advantageous to minimize costs and improve patient safety. However, current cellular models are sub-optimal. This review addresses the potential use of pluripotent stem cells in the generation of hepatic cell lineages. It begins by highlighting the scale of the problem faced by the pharmaceutical industry, the precise nature of drug-induced liver injury and where in the drug discovery pathway the need for additional cell models arises. Current research is discussed, mainly for generating hepatocyte-like cells rather than other liver cell-types. In addition, an effort is made to identify where some of the major barriers remain in translating what is currently hypothesis-driven laboratory research into meaningful platform technologies for the pharmaceutical industry