(Self-)Reflecting on International Recruitment: Views on the Role of Recruiting Agencies in Bulgaria and Romania

This article focuses on the recruiting practices of public and private agencies dealing with international labour mediation in Bulgaria and Romania. Based on interpretative analysis of 20 in-depth interviews with professionals working in migrant recruiting agencies in the two countries, we aim to understand their views on the advantages and disadvantages of their services in comparison with other mobility channels: such as informal networks, direct contacts with employers, or unofficial Internet sites. The article examines the ways in which international labour mediation practitioners construct their target group—migrants—in terms of motivation, human capital, and/or challenges of their adaptation to the new context. We then look at intermediaries’ perceptions of employers’ needs and expectations. We finish with uncovering recruiters’ underlying assessment of the national and European mobility policies and the outcomes they see for individual migrants, employers and the countries of departure and destination

Nanoparticle shapes: Quantification by elongation, convexity and circularity measures

The goal of the nanoparticle synthesis is, first of all, the production of nanoparticles that will be more similar in size and shape. This is very important for the possibility of studying and applying nanomaterials because of their characteristics that are very sensitive to size and shape such as, for example, magnetic properties. In this paper, we propose the shape analysis of the nanoparticles using three shape descriptors – elongation, convexity and circularity. Experimental results were obtained by using TEM images of hematite nanoparticles that were, first of all, subjected to segmentation in order to obtain isolated nanoparticles, and then the values of elongation, convexity and circularity were measured. Convexity C x ( S ) is regarded as the ratio between shape’s area and area of the its convex hull. The convexity measure defines the degree to which a shape differs from a convex shape while the circularity measure defines the degree to which a shape differs from an ideal circle. The range of convexity and circularity values is (0, 1], while the range of elongation values is [1, ∞). The circle has lowest elongation (ε = 1), while it has biggest convexity and circularity values ( C x = 1; C = 1). The measures ε( S ), C x ( S ), C ( S ) proposed and used in the experiment have the few desirable properties and give intuitively expected results. None of the measures is good enough to describe all the shapes, and therefore it is suggested to use a variety of measures so that the shapes can be described better and then classify and control during the synthesis process

Medicobiological aspects in endoprosthesis of the hip and knee joints

Catedra Ortopedie şi Traumatologie, Catedra Anatomie Topografică şi Chirurgie Operatorie, Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie N. TestemiţanuProtezarea articulaţiilor de șold și de genunchi reprezintă un mare succes al știinţei medicale și al progresului tehnic modern. Aceste intervenţii chirurgicale în lume cuprind anual milioane de pacienţi. În același timp, se constată că pentru mulţi chirurgi-ortopezi aceste operaţii au devenit o îndeletnicire pur tehnică, deoarece în tratament se neglijează particularităţile medico-biologice ale plăgii postoperatorii. Altfel nu putem lămuri faptul că, în diferite ţări, pacienţilor protezaţi la aceste articulaţii li se permite neargumentat efort fizic cu sprijin pe extremitatea operată în primele zile postoperatorii, chiar dacă în debut și cu ajutorul cârjelor. Nu se ţine cont de faptul că plaga postoperatorie în aceste regiuni anatomice ale aparatului locomotor prezintă o formaţiune complicată, care include lezarea diferitor ţesuturi: pielea, stratul adipos, fasciile, mușchii, tendoanele, capsula, membrana sinovială, ligamentele, componentele osoase articulare, formaţiunile neurovasculare; este schimbată biomecanica. Cicatrizarea și recuperarea acestor leziuni tisulare necesită tratament complex, care este bine cunoscut și determinat de știinţa chirurgicală și medico-biologică. Este inadmisibil să nu se respecte principiile tratamentului funcţional timpuriu și, ulterior, efortul fizic dozat în forţă și timp. Din aceasta și din alte cauze, apar diferite complicaţii timpurii și tardive, consecinţe nefavorabile, care nu rareori necesită noi intervenţii chirurgicale, frecvent repetate. Totodată, se prelungește considerabil procesul de recuperare și reabilitare a acestei categorii de pacienţi. Problema în cauză este extrem de actuală și necesită atenţia specialiștilor traumatologiortopezi, pentru a fi discutată în cadrul forumurilor știinţifice locale și internaţionale, cu luarea de decizii și formularea recomandărilor știinţifico-practice de conduită adecvată a acestor pacienţi.The prosthesis of hip and knee joints presents a great success of the medical science and modern progress. The necessity of such surgical interventions cover millions of patients annualy. At the same time it is noteworthy that for many orthopaedic surgeons this have become a purely technical occupation as the medicobiological peculiarities of postoperative wounds are not taken into consideration in the process of treatment. Otherwise how to explain the fact that in many countries the patients with prosthesis on these joints are unjustifiably allowed to lean on the operated extremity on the early days after the operation, no matter that with the support of crutches. The fact that the postoperative wound in these anatomical regions of the musculoskeletal system is a complex formation that includes the damage of various tissues – skin, subcutaneus fatty tissue, fasciae, musles, tendons, capsules, synovial membrane, ligaments, articular bone components, neuro-vascular formations – is not taken into account either. The biomechanics is changed as well. The scars and restoration of the damaged tissues require a complex treatment that is well known and determined by the surgical and medicobiological science. It is inadmissible when the functional early and late treatment principles concerning efforts dosed in time and strength are not observed. Because of this and other circumstances various complications appear, as well as adverse effects, which often require new repeated operations. The time of the process of recovery and rehabilitation of this category of patients is significantly extended. The question is extremely important and requires the attention of traumatologists-orthopedists in discussions at local and international scientific forums, the adoption of decisions and recommendations about the proper scientific-practical conduct in this direction

Off-Pump versus On-Pump – Intermittent Aortic Cross Clamping – Myocardial Revascularisation: Single Center Expirience

The aim of this randomised, prospective study was to evaluate hospital mortality and morbidity after myocardial revascularisation, comparing on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) myocardial revascularisation versus off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (OPCAB) myocardial revascularisation in population with multivessels coronary artery disease. Sixty patients with multivessels coronary artery diseases were scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting from January 15, 2006 to June 30, 2007 in our institution. Patients were randomized to off-pump or on-pump surgery with intermittent cross-clamping of aorta and ventricular fibrillation, using the envelope method with random numbers. In the results only difference we did find postoperatively was in Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB) release, the amount of bleeding and intensive care unit (ICU) stay (p<0.05). There was no diference between the two groups of patients regarding incidence of main morbidity and hospital moratlity. In summary, we didn’t find no superiority in any of the two techniques regarding on hospital mortality and morbidity

Is Mitral Valve Repair Safe Procedure in Elderly Patients?

The aim of this randomized, prospective, study was to evaluate postoperative hospital mortality and morbidity after mitral valve repair by comparing two surgical techniques for resolving mitral valve insufficiency in elderly patients. In comparison were: mitral valve repair vs. mitral valve replacement in patients older than 70 years. In period from January 1st 2006 until August 30th 2009. Eighty patients with mitral valve disease, isolated or associated with other co morbidities, were scheduled for mitral valve repair or mitral valve replacement in our institution. Patients were randomized in two groups, one scheduled for mitral valve repair and another one for mitral valve replacement using the envelope method with random numbers. Results show no difference in hospital mortality and morbidity postoperatively in both groups. In group undergoing valve replacement we had one significant complication of ventricle rupture in emphatically calcified posterior part of mitral valve annulus. In conclusion we found no distinction in postoperative hospital mortality and morbidity after using one of two surgical techniques

Widespread late Cenozoic increase in erosion rates across the interior of eastern Tibet constrained by detrital low-temperature thermochronometry

New detrital low-temperature thermochronometry provides estimates of long-term erosion rates and the timing of initiation of river incision from across the interior of the Tibetan Plateau. We use the erosion history of this region to evaluate proposed models of orogenic development as well as regional climatic events. Erosion histories of the externally drained portion of the east-central Tibetan Plateau are recorded in modern river sands from major rivers across a transect that spans >750 km and covers a region with no published thermochronometric ages. Individual grains from eight catchments were analyzed for apatite (U-Th)/He and fission track thermochronometry. A wide distribution in ages that, in most cases, spans the entire Cenozoic and Late Mesozoic eras requires a long period of slow or no erosion with a relative increase in erosion rate toward the present. We apply a recently developed methodology for inversion of detrital thermochronometric data for three specified erosion scenarios: constant erosion rate, two-stage erosion history, and three-stage erosion history. Modeling results suggest that rates increase by at least an order of magnitude between 11 and 4 Ma following a period of slow erosion across the studied catchments. Synchroneity in accelerated erosion across the whole of the Tibetan Plateau rather than a spatial or temporal progression challenges the widely held notion that the plateau evolved as a steep, northward-propagating topographic front, or that south to north precipitation gradients exert a primary control on erosion rates. Instead, we suggest that accelerated river incision late in the orogen's history relates to regional-scale uplift that occurred in concert with eastern expansion of the plateau

Glutamate efflux mediated by Corynebacterium glutamicum MscCG, Escherichia coli MscS, and their derivatives

AbstractCorynebacterium glutamicum is used in microbial biotechnology for the production of amino acids, in particular glutamate. The mechanism of glutamate excretion, however, is not yet fully understood. Recently, evidence was provided that the NCgl1221 gene product from C. glutamicum ATCC 13869, a MscS-type mechanosensitive efflux channel, is responsible for glutamate efflux [1]. The major difference of NCgl1221 and the homologous protein MscCG of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 from Escherichia coli MscS and most other MscS-type proteins is the presence of an additional, 247 amino acid long C-terminal domain. By topology analysis, we show that this domain in MscCG carries a transmembrane segment. We have generated selected C-terminal truncations of MscCG, gain-of-function and loss-of-function constructs of both E. coli MscS and C. glutamicum MscCG, as well as fusion constructs of the two proteins. These mutant proteins were investigated for mechanosensitive efflux, MS channel activity, glutamate excretion and their impact on membrane potential. We provide evidence that the channel domain of MscCG mediates glutamate efflux in response to penicillin treatment, and that the E. coli MscS channel is to some extent able to function in a similar manner. We further show that the C-terminal domain of MscCG has a significant impact for function and/or regulation of MscCG. Significantly, a positive effect on glutamate efflux of the C-terminal extension of MscCG from C. glutamicum was also observed when fused to the E. coli MscS channel

Koncentracije kortizola u plazmi nazimica tretiranih imunomodulatorom tijekom rane fazegravidnosti.

The goal of this research was to ascertain if multiple immunomodulation can decrease stress consequences of gilt relocation from the service station to the prefarrowing unit during the early gravidity phase. Three groups of pregnant Swedish Landrace gilts, 8 to 9 months of age, were encompassed by the research. Each group consisted of 30 pregnant gilts, and each researched group was treated differently. The animals in group A were given the immunomodulator intramuscularly in doses of 2 ml (Baypamun®, Bayer Pharma, Leverkusen, Germany) on the 6th, 4th and 2nd days before the relocation from the service station to the prefarrowing unit. It was also administered to the animals in group B intramuscularly in doses of 2 ml on the 5th, 3rd and 1st days before the relocation from the service station to the prefarrowing unit. Group C was not treated. Blood was sampled from the aforementioned gilts on the 2nd, 4th and 6th days, during their stay at the prefarrowing unit. During the research period statistically significant differences in plasma cortisol concentration were established (P<0.01) between the treated (groups A and B) and not-treated groups (group C). The mean plasma cortisol concentration was the lowest in group A, whereat values determined on the 4th and 6th days of stay in the prefarrowing unit were significantly lower in comparison to values in group B (P<0.01). The mean plasma cortisol concentration in group C was higher than the reference values for pigs. In all three gilt groups an increase in plasma cortisol concentration was noted during their stay in the prefarrowing unit, so that mean values on day 6 were significantly lower (P<0.01) in comparison to values determined on the 2nd day of stay in the prefarrowing unit. The aforementioned results demonstrate that immunomodulation alleviates hormonal changes that occur as a response to a stressful situation and refer to the positive effects of immunomodulator after the reduction of stress susceptibility.Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je utvrditi može li višekratna imunomodulacija smanjiti posljedice stresa zbog preseljenja nazimica iz pripuštališta u čekalište tijekom rane faze gravidnosti. Istraživanje je obuhvatilo tri skupine gravidnih nazimica pasmine švedski landras, u dobi od 8 do 9 mjeseci. Svaka skupina životinja sadržavala je 30 gravidnih nazimica. Tri istraživane skupine nazimica bile su različito obrađivane. Skupini A primijenjen je imunomodulator (Baypamun®) 6, 4 i 2 dana, a skupini B 5, 3 i 1 dan prije preseljenja iz pripuštališta u čekalište. Navedeni imunomodulator dan je intramuskularno u dozi od 2 ml u obje skupine nazimica. Skupina C nije bila obrađivana imunomodulatorom prije preseljenja iz pripuštališta u čekalište. Nazimicama svih navedenih skupina izvađena je krv 2., 4. i 6. dana boravka u čekalištu. U istraživanom razdoblju utvrđene su statistički značajne razlike (P<0,01) u koncentraciji kortizola između imunomodulatorom tretiranih skupina A i B i netretirane skupine C. Prosječne koncentracije kortizola bile su najmanje u skupini A, pri čemu su vrijednosti utvrđene četvrtoga i šestoga dana boravka u čekalištu bile statistički značajno manje u odnosu na skupinu B (P<0,01). Prosječne koncentracije kortizola utvrđene u netretiranoj skupini C bile su veće od referentnog raspona za svinje. U sve tri skupine nazimica zabilježen je pad koncentracije kortizola u krvnoj plazmi tijekom boravka u čekalištu, tako da su prosječne vrijednosti utvrđene šestoga dana boravka u čekalištu bile statistički značajno manje (P<0,01) u odnosu na koncentracije kortizola utvrđene drugoga dana boravka u čekalištu. Navedeni rezultati pokazuju da imunomodulacija ublažava hormonalne promjene nastale kao odgovor na stresna stanja i upućuje na pozitivno djelovanje imunomodulatora u smanjenju stresne osjetljivosti