The diversity and welfare of older migrants in Europe

This paper sets the scene and provides a conceptual framework for the articles in this special issue. They present the findings of research on European residents who have reached or are on the threshold of old age and whose current circumstances have been strongly influenced by a migration across an international border. Such ‘older migrants’ are scattered throughout Europe and they have especially diverse characteristics. They include some of the most deprived and socially excluded, and some of the most affluent and accomplished, but all to a greater or lesser extent are disadvantaged through an interaction between social policies and their ‘otherness’ by living in a foreign country. Some claim attention through the severity of their unmet health and welfare needs and poor capacity to access advice and treatment, while the affluent groups are of great interest to social gerontology because of their enterprising, developmental and positive approaches to old age. They include among the most innovative of the latest generation of older people, who pursue new combinations of family responsibilities, leisure pursuits and income generation. The paper proposes that the concept ‘human capital’ summarises variations in preparedness for old age, that is, the resources by which people cope with demands for income, roles, treatment, care and support. A typology of the ‘welfare position’ of international migrants in contemporary Europe is presented

New insights into the antimicrobial mechanisms of copper touch surfaces

Survival of pathogens on touch surfaces contributes to increasing incidence and spread of antibiotic resistance and infection in hospitals. One way to address this could be to use biocidal surfaces in conjunction with improved cleaning regimes. Exposure to moist copper alloy surfaces, to simulate fomite contamination, resulted in a rapid kill of significant bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. We now report studies on dry surfaces with a range of pathogens to elucidate the antimicrobial mechanism

Corrosion of industrial ironwork

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Childhood peer relationships in context

Gifford-Smith and Brownell (2003) have provided an extensive critical review of the current state of the art in peer relations research. Their thorough review of the basic research in these areas clearly illustrates the complexity of the task of understanding these aspects of children’s social development and how they navigate the interrelated relational ecologies. Our purpose is to extend the discussion by suggesting implications for intervention work and related research

Aptitud combinatoria general de centenos diploides y tetraploides

Se estableció como hipótesis que se pueden encontrar diferencias en rendimiento de forraje en las progenies de distintas líneas o cultivares, tanto de centeno diploide como tetraploide, cuando la fuente de polen es una mezcla de los mismos genotipos intervinientes. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la aptitud combinatoria general en diez genotipos de centeno diploide y diez genotipos de centeno tetraploide utilizando el método de la policruza. Se efectuó La prueba de la policruza y se determinó la Aptitud Combinatoria General (A.C.G.) para producción de biomasa (materia verde y seca) mediante una prueba de progenies de al policruza. En centenos diploides no se encontraron diferencias en la A.C.G. en los diez genotipos estudiados, ni para las distintas fechas de corte ni para la producción total (p<0,05). Los diez genotipos pueden utilizarse para la creación de un cultivar sintético. En centenos tetraploides se encontraron diferencias significativas en la A.C.G. tanto para cada fecha de corte como para la producción acumulada de biomasa. Se propone como alternativa, la formación de dos cultivares sintéticos de centenos tetraploides, uno para la producción temprana y otro para la producción temprana y otro para la producción tardía de forraje.Director: Ing. Agr. Guillermo F. Covas e lng. Agr. Héctor A. Paccapelo, Cátedra de Genética

Contribution of host-derived growth factors to in vivo growth of a transplantable murine mammary carcinoma.

The contribution of host-derived growth factors to tumour growth in vivo was studied using the transplantable murine mammary carcinoma, MT1, grown in syngeneic mice. Promotion of growth of the mammary carcinoma by a factor(s) from the host was evident in experiments in which the carcinoma cells were inoculated intraperitoneally. In this environment, tumours develop as multiple solid nodules, each probably arising from an individual cell or a small cluster of cells. Tumour growth was found to occur in the peritoneal cavity following inoculation of 10(3) cells, but an inoculum of as few as ten cells grew if a leucocyte-rich exudate had first been induced. To determine which host-derived growth factors might contribute to growth of MT1, extracts of the tumour were first examined for growth factor activity. Fractionation of tumour extracts by either ion-exchange chromatography or gel filtration revealed several peaks of mitogenic activity, but none of this could be attributed to epidermal growth factor (EGF). Accordingly, an anti-EGF antibody was tested as a putative inhibitor of tumour growth as any effect of this antibody could be ascribed to removal of EGF derived from the host. The antibody was found to have potent anti-tumour activity when tested against MT1 tumours that had been inoculated into the peritoneal cavity. In contrast, the antibody had little effect on growth of the discrete tumour mass which formed when MT1 was transplanted subcutaneously. The results suggest that host-derived EGF contributes to establishment of microcolonies of MT1 carcinoma within the peritoneal cavity. This may be directly, by providing growth factors to supplement those produced by the tumour until it reaches a certain critical mass to sustain autocrine growth, or indirectly, by affecting the production of other growth-stimulatory factors or cytokines

Scenario-based learning

Continuing the theme of using the real world as a teaching resource, Smith, Warnes and van Hoestenberghe describe learning scenarios where students find their own way and make their own choices in exploring an authentic situation. The intended learning outcomes are explained to the students to guide them to what is relevant, but these are thoroughly embedded in the tasks set: they do not have to make a special effort to work out what is being assessed. Again, assessment requires careful thought, which makes having student input to the design all the more relevant; this allows the teaching staff to actively guide students through their learning rather than merely acting as dispensers of knowledge: just as the Connected Curriculum strategy invites, students find things out for themselves