Initial and further education: Substitutes or complements? Differences in continuing education and training over the life-course of European workers

This investigation examines the place of initial and further education in continuing education and training over the life-course of workers across Europe. The evidence presented demonstrates that in countries with a strong orientation towards vocational education, participation in continuing education and training among employees is higher than in countries that mainly provide general education. Moreover, it can be seen that the effect of the vocational orientation of the education system increases over the life-course of workers. The conclusion of this investigation is that further education complements rather than substitutes for initial education. This implies that national education and training policies meant to encourage lifelong learning should not only attempt to expand or redirect training received by already experienced workers, but also try to facilitate participation in initial vocational training. © Springer 2005

Novel antiviral strategies for feline coronavirus and feline calicivirus

Feline coronavirus (FCoV) and feline calicivirus (FCV) commonly infect domestic cats, and are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. There are currently no effective antiviral agents for these pathogens. Studies reported herein attempt address this therapeutic shortfall through the testing of a panel of small molecule compounds and specifically designed small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for antiviral effects against both viruses. Initial compound screening identified chloroquine, mefloquine, and hexamethylene amiloride as effective inhibitors of FCoV, whilst mefloquine effectively inhibited FCV. Efficacy at low micromolar concentration was confirmed with orthogonal testing, albeit with relatively narrow selective indices. Preliminary experiments performed to inform the antiviral mechanism of the compounds against FCoV demonstrated all three compounds acted at an early stage of viral replication. For FCV, mefloquine exhibited potent inhibition of a panel of recent field isolates and demonstrated additive effects in combination with recombinant feline interferon omega. For both FCoV and FCV, a number of siRNAs demonstrated potent and specific inhibition of viral replication. These were effective at low nanomolar concentrations, when used in combination, and against high viral loads. A structural siRNA variant, Dicer-substrate siRNA, demonstrated similar or better efficacy, depending on the target, over canonical siRNAs directed at the same FCoV motif. Limitations of antiviral siRNAs in terms of antiviral resistance were investigated. FCoV serially passaged through siRNA treated cells rapidly acquired resistance, however combination therapy with three siRNAs was able to delay this considerably. For FCV, siRNAs effective against the reference strain were broadly efficacious against field isolates, although some variability was noted. Taken together these results provide important information regarding potential antiviral therapies against these important pathogens