288 research outputs found

    Employment Tactics and Strategies of Technical-Vocational Education Students for Career and Professional Development in the Labour Market of Vietnam

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    Many policies and strategies have been implemented to improve both the quality and quantity of Vietnam's technical and vocational education (TVE) system, and the results indicated innovative reform of the TVE system in both ways in Vietnam. Many aspects of TVE in Vietnam have been explored by a series of reports of the National Institute for Vocational Education and Training (NIVET); however, there exists a shortage of studies attempting to focus on the process of TVE graduates’ employment experience in the Vietnamese labour market. This study attempts to explore the employment of TVE graduates from technical colleges in Vietnam, with a focus on their employment tactics. To base this study on a qualitative approach, the primary data sources were obtained through semi-structure interviews and self-diary on employment tactics and strategies of TVE graduates in the labour market within two years. The obtained data were subjected to thematic analysis. Based on this, results revealed difficulty in obtaining desirable and high-paying jobs even though it was not difficult to obtain jobs to earn a living. Also, low satisfaction and resilience due to poor working conditions were revealed. Three key strategies: maintaining low pay jobs to earn a living, updating their skills to get better jobs, and changing to suitable jobs were figured out by TVE graduates. These strategies gradually assisted TVE graduates to obtain sustainable goals of career promotion and professional development

    Rotating machinery fault diagnosis for imbalanced data based on decision tree and fast clustering algorithm

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    To diagnose rotating machinery fault for imbalanced data, a kind of method based on fast clustering algorithm and decision tree is proposed. Combined with wavelet packet decomposition and isometric mapping (Isomap), sensitive features of different faults can be obtained so the imbalanced fault sample set is constituted. Then the fast clustering algorithm is applied to search core samples from the majority data of the imbalanced fault sample set. Consequently, the balanced fault sample set consisted of the clustered data and the minority data is built. After that, decision tree is trained with the balanced fault sample set to get the fault diagnosis model. Finally, gearbox fault data set and rolling bearing fault data set are used to test the fault diagnosis model. The experiment results show that proposed fault diagnosis model could accurately diagnose the rotating machinery fault for imbalanced data

    Increasing burden of community-acquired pneumonia leading to hospitalisation, 1998-2014

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    BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in many countries but few recent large-scale studies have examined trends in its incidence. METHODS: Incidence of CAP leading to hospitalisation in one UK region (Oxfordshire) was calculated over calendar time using routinely collected diagnostic codes, and modelled using piecewise-linear Poisson regression. Further models considered other related diagnoses, typical administrative outcomes, and blood and microbiology test results at admission to determine whether CAP trends could be explained by changes in case-mix, coding practices or admission procedures. RESULTS: CAP increased by 4.2%/year (95% CI 3.6 to 4.8) from 1998 to 2008, and subsequently much faster at 8.8%/year (95% CI 7.8 to 9.7) from 2009 to 2014. Pneumonia-related conditions also increased significantly over this period. Length of stay and 30-day mortality decreased slightly in later years, but the proportions with abnormal neutrophils, urea and C reactive protein (CRP) did not change (p>0.2). The proportion with severely abnormal CRP (>100 mg/L) decreased slightly in later years. Trends were similar in all age groups. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common causative organism found; however other organisms, particularly Enterobacteriaceae, increased in incidence over the study period (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalisations for CAP have been increasing rapidly in Oxfordshire, particularly since 2008. There is little evidence that this is due only to changes in pneumonia coding, an ageing population or patients with substantially less severe disease being admitted more frequently. Healthcare planning to address potential further increases in admissions and consequent antibiotic prescribing should be a priority

    The Mitochondrial Ca(2+) Uniporter: Structure, Function, and Pharmacology.

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    Mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake is crucial for an array of cellular functions while an imbalance can elicit cell death. In this chapter, we briefly reviewed the various modes of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake and our current understanding of mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis in regards to cell physiology and pathophysiology. Further, this chapter focuses on the molecular identities, intracellular regulators as well as the pharmacology of mitochondrial Ca(2+) uniporter complex

    Substrate protein folds while it is bound to the ATP-independent chaperone Spy

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    Chaperones assist the folding of many proteins in the cell. While the most well studied chaperones use cycles of ATP binding and hydrolysis to assist protein folding, a number of chaperones have been identified that promote protein folding in the absence of highenergy cofactors. Precisely how ATP-independent chaperones accomplish this feat is unclear. Here we have characterized the kinetic mechanism of substrate folding by the small, ATP-independent chaperone, Spy. Spy rapidly associates with its substrate, Immunity protein 7 (Im7), eliminating its potential for aggregation. Remarkably, Spy then allows Im7 to fully fold into its native state while remaining bound to the surface of the chaperone. These results establish a potentially widespread mechanism whereby ATP-independent chaperones can assist in protein refolding. They also provide compelling evidence that substrate proteins can fold while continuously bound to a chaperone

    Tissue Microenvironments Define and Get Reinforced by Macrophage Phenotypes in Homeostasis or during Inflammation, Repair and Fibrosis

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    Current macrophage phenotype classifications are based on distinct in vitro culture conditions that do not adequately mirror complex tissue environments. In vivo monocyte progenitors populate all tissues for immune surveillance which supports the maintenance of homeostasis as well as regaining homeostasis after injury. Here we propose to classify macrophage phenotypes according to prototypical tissue environments, e.g. as they occur during homeostasis as well as during the different phases of (dermal) wound healing. In tissue necrosis and/or infection, damage- and/or pathogen-associated molecular patterns induce proinflammatory macrophages by Toll-like receptors or inflammasomes. Such classically activated macrophages contribute to further tissue inflammation and damage. Apoptotic cells and antiinflammatory cytokines dominate in postinflammatory tissues which induce macrophages to produce more antiinflammatory mediators. Similarly, tumor-associated macrophages also confer immunosuppression in tumor stroma. Insufficient parenchymal healing despite abundant growth factors pushes macrophages to gain a profibrotic phenotype and promote fibrocyte recruitment which both enforce tissue scarring. Ischemic scars are largely devoid of cytokines and growth factors so that fibrolytic macrophages that predominantly secrete proteases digest the excess extracellular matrix. Together, macrophages stabilize their surrounding tissue microenvironments by adapting different phenotypes as feed-forward mechanisms to maintain tissue homeostasis or regain it following injury. Furthermore, macrophage heterogeneity in healthy or injured tissues mirrors spatial and temporal differences in microenvironments during the various stages of tissue injury and repair. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

    Pulmonary Vaccination as a Novel Treatment for Lung Fibrosis

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    Pulmonary fibrosis is an untreatable, uniformly fatal disease of unclear etiology that is the result of unremitting chronic inflammation. Recent studies have implicated bone marrow derived fibrocytes and M2 macrophages as playing key roles in propagating fibrosis. While the disease process is characterized by the accumulation of lymphocytes in the lung parenchyma and alveolar space, their role remains unclear. In this report we definitively demonstrate the ability of T cells to regulate lung inflammation leading to fibrosis. Specifically we demonstrate the ability of intranasal vaccinia vaccination to inhibit M2 macrophage generation and fibrocyte recruitment and hence the accumulation of collagen and death due to pulmonary failure. Mechanistically, we demonstrate the ability of lung Th1 cells to prevent fibrosis as vaccinia failed to prevent disease in Rag−/− mice or in mice in which the T cells lacked IFN-γ. Furthermore, vaccination 3 months prior to the initiation of fibrosis was able to mitigate the disease. Our findings clearly demonstrate the role of T cells in regulating pulmonary fibrosis as well as suggest that vaccinia-induced immunotherapy in the lung may prove to be a novel treatment approach to this otherwise fatal disease

    Fibrocytes are associated with vascular and parenchymal remodelling in patients with obliterative bronchiolitis

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of the present study was to explore the occurrence of fibrocytes in tissue and to investigate whether the appearance of fibrocytes may be linked to structural changes of the parenchyme and vasculature in the lungs of patients with obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) following lung or bone marrow transplantation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Identification of parenchyme, vasculature, and fibrocytes was done by histological methods in lung tissue from bone marrow or lung-transplanted patients with obliterative bronchiolitis, and from controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The transplanted patients had significantly higher amounts of tissue in the alveolar parenchyme (46.5 ± 17.6%) than the controls (21.7 ± 7.6%) (p < 0.05). The patients also had significantly increased numbers of fibrocytes identified by CXCR4/prolyl4-hydroxylase, CD45R0/prolyl4-hydroxylase, and CD34/prolyl4-hydroxylase compared to the controls (p < 0.01). There was a correlation between the number of fibrocytes and the area of alveolar parenchyma; CXCR4/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.01), CD45R0/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.05) and CD34/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.05). In the pulmonary vessels, there was an increase in the endothelial layer in patients (0.31 ± 0.13%) relative to the controls (0.037 ± 0.02%) (p < 0.01). There was a significant correlation between the number of fibrocytes and the total area of the endothelial layer CXCR4/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.001), CD45R0/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.001) and CD34/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.01). The percent areas of the lumen of the vessels were significant (p < 0.001) enlarged in the patient with OB compared to the controls. There was also a correlation between total area of the lumen and number of fibrocytes, CXCR4/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.01), CD45R0/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.001) and CD34/prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p < 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results indicate that fibrocytes are associated with pathological remodelling processes in patients with OB and that tissue fibrocytes might be a useful biomarker in these processes.</p

    Fibrocytes and the tissue niche in lung repair

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    Human fibrocytes are bone marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells that express a variety of markers related to leukocytes, hematopoietic stem cells and a diverse set of fibroblast phenotypes. Fibrocytes can be recruited from the circulation to the tissue where they further can differentiate and proliferate into various mesenchymal cell types depending on the tissue niche. This local tissue niche is important because it modulates the fibrocytes and coordinates their role in tissue behaviour and repair. However, plasticity of a niche may be co-opted in chronic airway diseases such as asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and obliterative bronchiolitis. This review will therefore focus on a possible role of fibrocytes in pathological tissue repair processes in those diseases
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