Pathways fostering Mobility to Higher Education for Vulnerable Immigrants in France, Switzerland and Canada

In this article we wish to clarify not only if, but also how – through which institutional settings – higher education is accessed by students from vulnerable immigrant groups in France, Switzerland and Canada. We are interested in the possible educational mobility that immigrant youths can experience arising from country-specific educational policies designed to increase the enrolment in higher education, particularly the flow from upper-secondary vocational educational tracks to higher education ones. We analyse using panel data in each country the accessibility of different pathways to higher education while taking into account the characteristics of the students. In terms of educational mobility, in France the democratisation of educational system, including the development of the vocational baccalauréat, has enabled more youths of immigrant background to access higher education. In Switzerland and Canada there is more “cooling down” and down-streaming of their educational aspirations towards non higher education and more labour market oriented pathways

Una tipología de desajustes entre competencias y educación utilizando un análisis comparativo entre países

This paper aims to discuss the value of the diplomas and the situation of downgrading on the labour market. Its novelty is to compare skills both acquired and required in employment, using a self-assessment carried out by young higher education graduates across nine countries of Europe, Japan and Canada. More precisely, we illustrate the incidences of diploma and skill mismatches using three higher education graduate surveys, two international surveys (CHEERS, REFLEX) and a Canadian survey (NGS). We define possible over-education and skill mismatches and then present an empirical typology to show the most frequent cases of mismatches. The ideal situation which corresponds to a perfect match both in terms of diploma and skills only covers a quarter of the graduates. Norwegian and Dutch graduates are more likely to be in this situation. Our results also indicate difficulties for the different educational systems in producing the necessary skills even if a proportion of graduates are overeducated. The mismatch of certain skills is more marked that others in the typology. This is notably the case for the ability to solve problems and analytical thinking.Este trabajo tiene como objetivo discutir el valor de los títulos de educación superior y la situación de postergación de los graduados en el mercado laboral. Su novedad consiste en comparar las habilidades adquiridas y requeridas en el empleo, mediante una autoevaluación realizada por los jóvenes graduados de educación superior en nueve países de Europa, Japón y Canadá. Más precisamente, se expone la frecuencia de desajustes entre titulación y habilidades utilizando tres estudios de graduados de educación superior, dos estudios internacionales (Cheers y REFLEX) y una encuesta canadiense (NGS). Definimos posible sobre-educación y desajuste en las habilidades, y a continuación presentamos una tipología empírica para mostrar los casos más frecuentes de desajustes. La situación ideal que corresponde a una combinación perfecta entre titulación y habilidades sólo cubre una cuarta parte de los graduados. Graduados noruegos y holandeses son más propensos a estar en esta situación. Nuestros resultados indican también dificultades para los diferentes sistemas educativos en la producción de las habilidades necesarias, incluso si una proporción de graduados son sobre-educados. La falta de coincidencia de ciertas habilidades es más marcada que otras en dicha tipología. Este es especialmente el caso en competencias como la capacidad de resolver problemas y en aplicar el pensamiento analítico

Do vocational pathways improve higher education access for women and men from less privileged social backgrounds? A comparison of vocational tracks to higher education in France and Switzerland

Educational policy developments in France and Switzerland have increased eligibility for higher education. This paper explores the extent to which vocationally orientated pathways to higher education reduce social inequalities in France and Switzerland. More specifically, we analyse how the vocational pathway facilitates access to higher education for male and female students from lower cultural capital backgrounds. We refer to gender theory to link young people’s subjective self-image and its corresponding institutional fit with different educational pathways. We use panel data from France (panel DEPP) and Switzerland (panel TREE) and multinomial logistic regression to analyse the accessibility of different institutional pathways to higher education for male and female students separately. Our results show different consequences of the two national educational systems with regard to social reproduction and gender inequalities. An intersectional analysis highlights that, in France, vocationally oriented programmes foster higher education access for young women with lower cultural capital. In Switzerland, the vocational pathway to access higher education is primarily used by young men from privileged educational backgrounds as a compensation for their underrepresentation in the traditional general education pathway to higher education

Transitions - note 10

Note complète ; Résumé ; Capsule: Ingénieure ou infirmier: les choix traditionnels et non traditionnels des filles et des garçons

LInfluence des déterminants sociaux et culturels sur les parcours et les transitions dans les études postsecondaires note 6 : Projet Transitions /

Note complète ; Résumé ; Capsule ; Summary Full text

Parcours scolaires et modes de transition dans l'enseignement postsecondaire canadien note 4 : Projet Transitions

Note complète ; Résumé ; Capsule ; Full text

Transitions - Note 9

Note complète ; Résumé ; Capsule: l'accès des EPG aux universités canadiennes

Intrinsic defect engineering of CVD grown monolayer MoS2_2 for tuneable functional nanodevices

Defects in atomically thin materials can drive new functionalities and expand applications to multifunctional systems that are monolithically integrated. An ability to control formation of defects during the synthesis process is an important capability to create practical deployment opportunities. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_2$), a two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting material harbors intrinsic defects that can be harnessed to achieve tuneable electronic, optoelectronic, and electrochemical devices. However, achieving precise control over defect formation within monolayer MoS$_2$, while maintaining the structural integrity of the crystals remains a notable challenge. Here, we present a one-step, in-situ defect engineering approach for monolayer MoS$_2$ using a pressure dependent chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process. Monolayer MoS$_2$ grown in low-pressure CVD conditions (LP-MoS$_2$) produces sulfur vacancy (Vs) induced defect rich crystals primarily attributed to the kinetics of the growth conditions. Conversely, atmospheric pressure CVD grown MoS$_2$ (AP-MoS$_2$) passivates these Vs defects with oxygen. This disparity in defect profiles profoundly impacts crucial functional properties and device performance. AP-MoS$_2$ shows a drastically enhanced photoluminescence, which is significantly quenched in LP-MoS$_2$ attributed to in-gap electron donor states induced by the Vs defects. However, the n-doping induced by the Vs defects in LP-MoS$_2$ generates enhanced photoresponsivity and detectivity in our fabricated photodetectors compared to the AP-MoS$_2$ based devices. Defect-rich LP-MoS$_2$ outperforms AP-MoS$_2$ as channel layers of field-effect transistors (FETs), as well as electrocatalytic material for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This work presents a single-step CVD approach for in-situ defect engineering in monolayer MoS$_2$ and presents a pathway to control defects in other monolayer material systems.Comment: 29 pages, 5 figure

Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19.

Host-mediated lung inflammation is present1, and drives mortality2, in the critical illness caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Host genetic variants associated with critical illness may identify mechanistic targets for therapeutic development3. Here we report the results of the GenOMICC (Genetics Of Mortality In Critical Care) genome-wide association study in 2,244 critically ill patients with COVID-19 from 208 UK intensive care units. We have identified and replicated the following new genome-wide significant associations: on chromosome 12q24.13 (rs10735079, P = 1.65 × 10-8) in a gene cluster that encodes antiviral restriction enzyme activators (OAS1, OAS2 and OAS3); on chromosome 19p13.2 (rs74956615, P = 2.3 × 10-8) near the gene that encodes tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2); on chromosome 19p13.3 (rs2109069, P = 3.98 ×  10-12) within the gene that encodes dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9); and on chromosome 21q22.1 (rs2236757, P = 4.99 × 10-8) in the interferon receptor gene IFNAR2. We identified potential targets for repurposing of licensed medications: using Mendelian randomization, we found evidence that low expression of IFNAR2, or high expression of TYK2, are associated with life-threatening disease; and transcriptome-wide association in lung tissue revealed that high expression of the monocyte-macrophage chemotactic receptor CCR2 is associated with severe COVID-19. Our results identify robust genetic signals relating to key host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage in COVID-19. Both mechanisms may be amenable to targeted treatment with existing drugs. However, large-scale randomized clinical trials will be essential before any change to clinical practice

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children