5,948 research outputs found
The Occupational Structure of Further and Higher Education in Ireland and the Netherlands
Although most types of education give access to a range of occupations, the educational background determines to a large extent the labour market possibilities of a worker. However, since educational systems vary widely between different countries, there is a question about the specific role of each type of education in a country and the influence of the structure of the educational system as a whole on the relationship between education and the labour market. In this paper a comparison of the occupational structure of further and higher education in Ireland and the Netherlands is made. This comparison is based on a common occupational classification, which provides the possibility of measuring the extent of the occupational domains of types of education and the overlap in occupational domain of different types of education within each country and between both countries. The extent of the occupational domain and the similarities within a country provide information about aspects of the occupational structure of higher education in both countries, while the similarities between types of education in both countries make it possible to determine in a simple way the mutual position of types of education in the two countries. It is shown in the paper that since the Irish education system is more generally oriented than the Dutch system, Ireland has a broader occupational domain for similar types of further and higher education, on average, than the Netherlands. In addition the occupational domains for academics and technicians in Ireland have more overlap between different fields of study than in the Netherlands. Furthermore, despite the fact that the fraction of higher educated people in the Netherlands considerably exceeds the fraction in Ireland – which might result in some qualifications inflation – some types of education in Ireland, such as engineering and agricultural science, at higher levels seem to be closer to the Dutch intermediate vocational level than to the higher level.education, training and the labour market;
The BIOEXPLOIT Project
The EU Framework 6 Integrated Project BIOEXPLOIT concerns the exploitation of natural plant biodiversity for the pesticide-free production of food. It focuses on the pathogens Phytophthora infestans, Septoria tritici, Blumeria graminis, Puccinia spp. and Fusarium spp. and on the crops wheat, barley, tomato and potato. The project commenced in October 2005, comprises 45 laboratories in 12 countries, and is carried out by partners from research institutes, universities, private companies and small-medium enterprises. The project has four strategic objectives covered in eight sub-projects. These objectives relate to (i) understanding the molecular components involved in durable disease resistance, (ii) exploring and exploiting the natural biodiversity in disease resistance, (iii) accelerating the introduction of marker-assisted breeding and genetic engineering in the EU plant breeding industry, and (iv) coordinating and integrating resistance breeding research, providing training in new technologies, disseminating the results, and transferring knowledge and technologies to the industry
Dietary unsaturated fatty acids affect the mammary gland integrity and health in lactating dairy cows
Background Information about the effects of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) supplementation on the health and integrity of the mammary gland in lactating dairy cows is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of unprotected dietary UFA on the global expression pattern of genes in the mammary gland tissue of grazing dairy cows, and to translate this information into relevant biological knowledge. Methods Twenty-eight Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were randomly assigned to 4 different concentrated UFA-sources for 23 days after which all cows were switched to a non-UFA-supplemented concentrate for an additional 28 days. On the last day of both periods, mammary gland biopsies were taken to study genome-wide differences in gene expression on Bovine Genome Arrays. Results Supplementation with UFA reduced the concentration of short chain fatty acids (FA), C16 FA and saturated FA in the milk, whereas that of trans-FA increased. One major finding was that canonical pathways associated with remodelling and immune functions of the mammary gland were predominantly down-regulated during UFA supplementation and negatively correlated with the concentration of milk trans-FA. Conclusions Supplementing grazing dairy cows with unprotected dietary UFA can affect the remodelling and immune functions of the mammary gland with potential consequences for its integrity and health, as well as milk quality
Alteration of gene expression in mammary gland tissue of dairy cows in response to dietary unsaturated fatty acids
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of supplementing unprotected dietary unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) from different plant oils on gene expression in the mammary gland of grazing dairy cows. A total of 28 Holstein–Friesian dairy cows in mid-lactation were blocked according to parity, days in milk, milk yield and fat percentage. The cows were then randomly assigned to four UFA sources based on rapeseed, soybean, linseed or a mixture of the three oils for 23 days, after which, all 28 cows were switched to a control diet for an additional 28 days. On the last day of both periods, mammary gland biopsies were taken to study genome-wide differences in gene expression on Affymetrix GeneChip® Bovine Genome Arrays (no. 900493) by ServiceXS (Leiden, The Netherlands). Supplementation with UFAs resulted in increased milk yield but decreased milk fat and protein percentages. Furthermore, the proportion of de novo fatty acids (FAs) in the milk was reduced, whereas that of long-chain FAs increased. Applying a statistical cut-off of false discovery rate of q-value
Theoretical He I Emissivities in the Case B Approximation
We calculate the He I case B recombination cascade spectrum using improved
radiative and collisional data. We present new emissivities over a range of
electron temperatures and densities. The differences between our results and
the current standard are large enough to have a significant effect not only on
the interpretation of observed spectra of a wide variety of objects but also on
determinations of the primordial helium abundance.Comment: Accepted to ApJ
Antioxidantien als Strategie zur Optimierung der Kryokonservierung von Stammzellen für das Tissue Engineering
Kontrolliertes Einfrieren in den Temperaturbereich zwischen – 80 °C und – 196 °C erlaubt es Zellen, bei gleichzeitigem Erhalt ihrer Vitalität nach dem Auftauprozess, langfristig zu lagern. Durch die Verwendung von Antioxidantien sollte in der vorliegenden Arbeit eine Steigerung der Rekultivierbarkeit von mesenchymalen Stammzellen nach der Kryokonservierung erzielt werden. Der Zusatz von 100 μM α–Tocopherol steigerte die Rekultivierungseffzienz der Stammzellen um 117,5 % gegenüber der Kontrolle ohne Antioxidans. Darüber hinaus konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine Reduzierung der DMSO-Konzentration möglich ist, da Versuche mit 200 μM α–Tocopherol und 2,5 % bzw. 5 % DMSO vergleichbare Resultate von ca. 164 % bzw. 170 % Rekultivierbarkeit erzielten.EXC/62/
Exploring the causes of adverse events in hospitals and potential prevention strategies
Objectives
To examine the causes of adverse events
(AEs) and potential prevention strategies to minimise the
occurrence of AEs in hospitalised patients.
Methods
For the 744 AEs identified in the patient record
review study in 21 Dutch hospitals, trained reviewers
were asked to select all causal factors that contributed
to the AE. The results were analysed together with data
on preventability and consequences of AEs. In addition,
the reviewers selected one or more prevention strategies
for each preventable AE. The recommended prevention
strategies were analysed together with four general
causal categories: technical, human, organisational and
patient-related factors.
Results
Human causes were predominantly involved in
the causation of AEs (in 61% of the AEs), 61% of those
being preventable and 13% leading to permanent
disability. In 39% of the AEs, patient-related factors were
involved, in 14% organisational factors and in 4%
technical factors. Organisational causes contributed
relatively often to preventable AEs (93%) and AEs
resulting in permanent disability (20%). Recommended
strategies to prevent AEs were quality assurance/peer
review, evaluation of safety behaviour, training and
procedures. For the AEs with human and patient-related
causes, reviewers predominantly recommended quality
assurance/peer review. AEs caused by organisational
factors were considered preventable by improving
procedures.
Discussion
Healthcare interventions directed at human
causes are recommended because these play a large
role in AE causation. In addition, it seems worthwhile to
direct interventions on organisational causes because the
AEs they cause are nearly always believed to be
preventable. Organisational factors are thus relatively
easy to tackle. Future research designs should allow
researchers to interview healthcare providers that were
involved in the event, as an additional source of
information on contributing factors.
Contributions of biotechnology to the control and prevention of brucellosis in Africa
Zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis have a major impact on the health and economic prosperity of the developing world. Recent advances in our understanding of brucellosis and new developments in diagnostics and vaccine technology provide unique opportunities for biotechnology companies in developing countries to make an essential contribution to the control of this disease.
Key Words: Brucellosis, biotechnology, zoonosis, livestock, public health, diagnostics, vaccine.
African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(12) 2004: 631-63
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