Creative aspiration and the betrayal of promise? The experience of new creative workers

The promise of ‘doing what you love’ continues to attract new aspirants to creative work, yet most creative industries are so characterised by low investment, shifting foci and ongoing technological innovation that all promises must be unreliable. Some would-be creative workers negotiate their own pathways from the outset, ‘following their dream’ as they attempt to convert personal enthusiasms and amateur activities into income-earning careers. Others look to the proliferation of available training and education options, including higher education courses, as possible pathways into creative work. This chapter reviews recent research from the USA, Australia and the UK on the effectiveness – or otherwise – of higher education as preparation for a creative career. The chapter discusses the obstacles that many creative workers, including graduates, encounter on their creative pathways, for instance, as a result of informal work practices and self-employment. The chapter also looks at sources of advantage and disadvantage, such as those associated with particular geographic locations or personal identities. The chapter concludes by introducing the subsequent chapters in the collection. These critically explore the experience of new creative workers in a wide range of national contexts including Australia, Belgium, China, Ireland, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Russia and the United Kingdom

The evidence of contaminants in dairy products

U pogledu zdravstvene ispravnosti namirnica danas se u svijetu poglavito govori o razini njihova zagađenja odnosno nalazu štetnih tvari koje mogu ugroziti čovječje zdravlje. Uporaba veterinarskih lijekova u terapijske svrhe i njihov dodatak stočnoj hrani te uporaba kemijskih sredstava u zaštiti bilja najznačajniji su putovi kemijskog zagađenja mlijeka i mliječnih proizvoda. Razina spomenutih zagađenja ovisi o mogućnostima uporabe tih sredstava u poljoprivrednoj, stočarskoj i veterinarskoj praksi. Zdravstvena ispravnost mliječnih proizvoda ovisi i o nazočnosti patogenih mikroorganizama, a i o suvremenim spoznajama o nutricionističkoj vrijednosti pojedinih sastojaka.In the context of the wholesomeness the foodstuffs today we talk mostly about the quantity of different food contaminants which can cause the disturbances of human health. The use of veterinary drugs for therapeutic purposes and their addition to the animal feed, the use of pesticides and other chemicals in the plant production are the most important ways of milk and dairy products contamination. The quantity of such pollution depends on the possibilities of using this agents in agriculture, animal breeding and veterinary practice. The wholesomeness of dairy products depends on the evidence of pathogenic microorganisms as well as on the nutrition value of the composition of fooodstuffs

Epidemiology of partial urorectal septum malformation sequence (or 'persistent cloaca'): A population-based study in seven regions of England and Wales, 1985-2010

Background: Partial urorectal septum malformation (pURSM) sequence (or 'persistent cloaca') is a rare congenital anomaly characterised by a joining of the urethral, anal, and genital openings into a single common channel. This study describes the epidemiology of pURSM sequence in England and Wales including prevalence, additional anomalies, and pregnancy outcomes. Methods: All cases of pURSM sequence prospectively notified to seven congenital anomaly registers in England and Wales during 1985-2010, whether delivered as live births, spontaneous fetal deaths (≥20 weeks' gestation), or elective terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly (TOPFA, any gestation), formed this population-based cohort. The risks of spontaneous fetal and infant death were examined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Differences in prevalence over time, and between regions, were examined by multilevel Poisson regression. Results: 117 cases were recorded among 4 251 241 total births. Six (5%) pregnancies resulted in spontaneous fetal deaths, 53 (45%) in TOPFA, and 58 (50%) in live births. The prevalence was 2.8 (95% CI 2.3 to 3.4) per 100 000 total births, increasing significantly over time (p=0.002) and differing significantly between regions ( p=0.005). 77 cases (66%) had at least one additional major congenital anomaly outside the perineum, including 67 (57%) renal, 29 (25%) musculoskeletal, 26 (23%) digestive system, and 24 (21%) cardiovascular anomalies. The risks of spontaneous fetal and infant death were estimated as 8.9% (95% CI 4.1 to 18.8) and 26.3% (95% CI 15.1 to 43.4) respectively. Conclusions: This is the largest study of the epidemiology of pURSM sequence. The information will be valuable for families and health professionals whenever a case of pURSM sequence is diagnosed

Epidemiology of partial urorectal septum malformation sequence (or 'persistent cloaca'): a population-based study in seven regions of England and Wales, 1985-2010.

BACKGROUND: Partial urorectal septum malformation (pURSM) sequence (or 'persistent cloaca') is a rare congenital anomaly characterised by a joining of the urethral, anal, and genital openings into a single common channel. This study describes the epidemiology of pURSM sequence in England and Wales including prevalence, additional anomalies, and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: All cases of pURSM sequence prospectively notified to seven congenital anomaly registers in England and Wales during 1985-2010, whether delivered as live births, spontaneous fetal deaths (≥20 weeks' gestation), or elective terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly (TOPFA, any gestation), formed this population-based cohort. The risks of spontaneous fetal and infant death were examined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Differences in prevalence over time, and between regions, were examined by multilevel Poisson regression. RESULTS: 117 cases were recorded among 4,251,241 total births. Six (5%) pregnancies resulted in spontaneous fetal deaths, 53 (45%) in TOPFA, and 58 (50%) in live births. The prevalence was 2.8 (95% CI 2.3 to 3.4) per 100,000 total births, increasing significantly over time (p=0.002) and differing significantly between regions (p=0.005). 77 cases (66%) had at least one additional major congenital anomaly outside the perineum, including 67 (57%) renal, 29 (25%) musculoskeletal, 26 (23%) digestive system, and 24 (21%) cardiovascular anomalies. The risks of spontaneous fetal and infant death were estimated as 8.9% (95% CI 4.1 to 18.8) and 26.3% (95% CI 15.1 to 43.4) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest study of the epidemiology of pURSM sequence. The information will be valuable for families and health professionals whenever a case of pURSM sequence is diagnosed

Prevention of neural tube defects in the UK: a missed opportunity

OBJECTIVE: In 1991, the Medical Research Council (MRC) Vitamin Study demonstrated that folic acid taken before pregnancy and in early pregnancy reduced the risk of a neural tube defect (NTD). We aimed to estimate the number of NTD pregnancies that would have been prevented if flour had been fortified with folic acid in the UK from 1998 as it had been in the USA. DESIGN: Estimates of NTD prevalence, the preventive effect of folic acid and the proportion of women taking folic acid supplements before pregnancy were used to predict the number of NTD pregnancies that would have been prevented if folic acid fortification had been implemented. SETTING: Eight congenital anomaly registers in England and Wales. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of pregnancies with an NTD in the UK and the number of these pregnancies that would have been prevented if folic acid fortification had been implemented. RESULTS: From 1991 to 2012, the prevalence of NTD pregnancies was 1.28 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.31) per 1000 total births (19% live births, 81% terminations and 0.5% stillbirths and fetal deaths ≥20 weeks' gestation). If the USA levels of folic acid fortification from 1998 onwards had been adopted in the UK, an estimated 2014 fewer NTD pregnancies would have occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Failure to implement folic acid fortification in the UK has caused, and continues to cause, avoidable terminations of pregnancy, stillbirths, neonatal deaths and permanent serious disability in surviving children