Demographic Change and Public Education Spending: A Conflict between Young and Old?

Demographic change in industrial countries will influence educational spending in potentially two ways. On the one hand, the decline in the number of school-age children should alleviate the financial pressure. On the other hand, the theoretical/empirical literature has established that the concomitantly increasing proportion of elderly in the population can influence the propensity of politicians to spend on education. Using a panel of the Swiss Cantons for the period from 1990 to 2002, we find that the education system has exhibited little elasticity in adjusting to changes in the school-age population, and that the share of the elderly population has a significantly negative influence on the willingness to spend on public education.public finance, education finance, demographics, panel estimates, Switzerland

Invasive DNA elements modify the nuclear architecture of their insertion site by KNOT-linked silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background The three-dimensional (3D) organization of chromosomes is linked to epigenetic regulation and transcriptional activity. However, only few functional features of 3D chromatin architecture have been described to date. The KNOT is a 3D chromatin structure in Arabidopsis, comprising 10 interacting genomic regions termed KNOT ENGAGED ELEMENTs (KEEs). KEEs are enriched in transposable elements and associated small RNAs, suggesting a function in transposon biology. Results Here, we report the KNOT’s involvement in regulating invasive DNA elements. Transgenes can specifically interact with the KNOT, leading to perturbations of 3D nuclear organization, which correlates with the transgene’s expression: high KNOT interaction frequencies are associated with transgene silencing. KNOT-linked silencing (KLS) cannot readily be connected to canonical silencing mechanisms, such as RNA-directed DNA methylation and post-transcriptional gene silencing, as both cytosine methylation and small RNA abundance do not correlate with KLS. Furthermore, KLS exhibits paramutation-like behavior, as silenced transgenes can lead to the silencing of active transgenes in trans. Conclusion Transgene silencing can be connected to a specific feature of Arabidopsis 3D nuclear organization, namely the KNOT. KLS likely acts either independent of or prior to canonical silencing mechanisms, such that its characterization not only contributes to our understanding of chromosome folding but also provides valuable insights into how genomes are defended against invasive DNA elements

Chromosome conformation capture-based studies reveal novel features of plant nuclear architecture

Nuclear genome organization has recently received increasing attention due to its manifold functions in basic nuclear processes, such as replication, transcription, and the maintenance of genome integrity. Using technologies based on chromosome conformation capture, such as Hi-C, we now have the possibility to study the three-dimensional organization of the genome at unprecedented resolution, shedding light onto a previously unexplored level of nuclear architecture. In plants, research in this field is still in its infancy but a number of publications provided first insights into basic principles of nuclear genome organization and the factors that influence it. Apart from general aspects, newly discovered three-dimensional conformations, such as the KNOT, raise special interest on how nuclear organization may influence the function of the genome in previously unexpected ways

Chromatin Conformation Capture-Based Analysis of Nuclear Architecture

Nuclear organization and higher-order chromosome structure in interphase nuclei are thought to have important effects on fundamental biological processes, including chromosome condensation, replication, and transcription. Until recently, however, nuclear organization could only be analyzed microscopically. The development of chromatin conformation capture (3C)-based techniques now allows a detailed look at chromosomal architecture from the level of individual loci to the entire genome. Here we provide a robust Hi-C protocol, allowing the analysis of nuclear organization in nuclei from different wild-type and mutant plant tissues. This method is quantitative and provides a highly efficient and comprehensive way to study chromatin organization during plant development, in response to different environmental stimuli, and in mutants disrupting a variety of processes, including epigenetic pathways regulating gene expression

Rumen perforation caused by horn injury in two cows

Post-operative complications of trocarisation and rumenotomy are the most common causes of peritonitis associated with a rumen disorder. Since horn injury leading to rumen perforation has not previously been reported in the literature, two cows with this condition are reported. Small superficial skin lesions were observed in one of the cows and the other had a perforating skin lesion in the left abdomen. Both cows had signs of hypovolaemic shock. Ultrasonography revealed hypoechoic fluid, echoic lesions and occasional fibrinous septa caudoventral to the reticulum. Caudally the fluid extended to the left flank fold and occupied about one third of the peritoneal cavity. The area of the skin perforation in the left abdomen was swollen and the muscle layers could not be differentiated using ultrasonography. Diffuse fibrino-purulent peritonitis was diagnosed in both cows, and because of a poor prognosis, they were euthanased and necropsied. Perforation of the abdominal wall and rumen with diffuse fibrino-purulent peritonitis was present. Ultrasonography is a suitable tool to characterise the inflammatory lesions between the rumen and left abdominal wall and objectify the interpretation of clinical findings. Horn injury should be included in the rule outs for cattle with left abdominal skin wounds and diffuse peritonitis

Treatment of cows with parturient paresis using intravenous calcium and oral sodium phosphate

The goal of this study was to investigate whether intravenous infusion of 1000 ml 40% calcium borogluconate combined with the oral adminstration of 500 g sodium phosphate leads to a better cure rate and longer-lasting normocalcaemia and normophosphataemia than standard intravenous treatment with 500 ml calcium borogluconate in cows with parturient paresis. Forty recumbent cows with hypocalcaemia and hypophosphataemia were alternately allocated to group A or B. Cows of both groups were treated intravenously with 500 ml 40% calcium borogluconate, and cows of group B additionally received another 500 ml calcium borogluconate via slow intravenous infusion and 500 g sodium phosphate administered via an orogastric tube. Thirty-two cows stood within 8 hours after the start of treatment and 8 did not; of the 32 cows that stood, 18 belonged to group A and 14 to group B (90% of group A vs. 70% of group B; P = 0.23). Seven cows relapsed; of these and the 8 that did not respond to initial treatment, 10 stood after two standard intravenous treatments. Downer cow syndrome occurred in 5 cows, 3 of which recovered after aggressive therapy. The overall cure rate did not differ significantly between groups A and B. Twelve (60%) cows of group A and 14 (70%) cows of group B were cured after a single treatment and of the remaining 14, 11 were cured after two or more treatments. Two downer cows were euthanized and one other died of heart failure during treatment. Serum calcium concentrations during the first eight hours after the start of treatment were significantly higher in group B than in group A, and oral sodium phosphate caused a significant and lasting increase in inorganic phosphate. More cows of group B than group A were cured after a single treatment (P > 0.05). These findings, although not statistically significant, are promising and should be verified using a larger number of cows

Demographic Change and Public Education Spending a Conflict between Young and Old?

Demographic change in industrial countries will influence educational spending in potentially two ways. On the one hand, the decline in the number of school-age children should alleviate the financial pressure. On the other hand, the theoretical/empirical literature has established that the concomitantly increasing proportion of elderly in the population can influence the propensity of politicians to spend on education. Using a panel of the Swiss Cantons for the period from 1990 to 2002, we find that the education system has exhibited little elasticity in adjusting to changes in the school-age population, and that the share of the elderly population has a significantly negative influence on the willingness to spend on public education.public finance, education finance, demographics, panel estimates, Switzerland

Characterization of chromosomal architecture in Arabidopsis by chromosome conformation capture

BACKGROUND: The packaging of long chromatin fibres in the nucleus poses a major challenge, as it must fulfil both physical and functional requirements. Until recently, insight into the chromosomal architecture of plants was mainly provided by cytogenetic studies. Complementary to these analyses, chromosome conformation capture technologies promise to refine and improve our view on chromosomal architecture and to provide a more generalized description of nuclear organization. RESULTS: Employing circular chromosome conformation capture, this study describes chromosomal architecture in Arabidopsis nuclei from a genome-wide perspective. Surprisingly, the linear organisation of chromosomes is reflected in the genome-wide interactome. In addition, we study the interplay of the interactome and epigenetic marks and report that the heterochromatic knob on the short arm of chromosome 4 (hk4s) maintains a pericentromere-like interaction profile and interactome despite its euchromatic surrounding. CONCLUSION: Despite the extreme condensation that is necessary to pack the chromosomes into the nucleus, the Arabidopsis genome appears to be packed in a predictive manner, according to the following criteria: heterochromatin and euchromatin represent two distinct interactomes; interactions between chromosomes correlate with the linear position on the chromosome arm; and distal chromosome regions have a higher potential to interact with other chromosomes