Genotypes and antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter coli in fattening pigs

Campylobacter coli is a food-borne zoonotic pathogen causing human gastroenteritis worldwide. The organism is a commensal in the intestine of many food production animals including fattening pigs. The role of the pig as a potential reservoir for C. coli affecting human either directly or via poultry has hardly been investigated and genetic characterization of porcine strains is needed to address this question. For this aim multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and flaB typing was applied to 256 C. coli isolates from faeces of fattening pig collected during 2009 at different slaughterhouses in Switzerland. In addition genotypic resistances towards macrolides and quinolones based on point mutations in the 23S rRNA and gyrA genes, respectively, were determined. Of the 67 sequence types (STs) obtained by MLST, 37 were found for the first time. flaB typing revealed 46 different types with 14 of them being novel and was useful to further differentiate strains with an identical ST. Quinolone resistance was detected in 33.6% and macrolide resistance was found in 10.6% of isolates. Comparison with 99 C. coli pig isolates from 2001 revealed a significant decrease in antibiotic resistance towards both groups of antibiotics and there was high overlap between genotypes of 2001 and 2009. Little overlap of porcine genotypes was found with 97 C. coli isolates from poultry collected 2008, however, macrolide resistance was significantly higher in pig isolates. In conclusion, C. coli from Swiss pig are heterogeneous containing many novel STs, findings that could reflect the partitioned Swiss pig production with almost no international breed exchange. The antibiotic resistance echoes the use of corresponding drugs in the Swiss livestock production and indicates the efficacy of restrictive application of antibiotics in order to reduce resistances.

La internacionalización de la educación a distancia en América Latina

El artículo analiza como la región está inserta en un proceso de internacionalización, pero ella es de dimensiones muy reducida, lo cual redunda negativamente en el mejoramiento de la calidad. La educación transfronteriza es una de las cuatro modalidades a través de las cuales se desarrolla la educación internacional. El artículo analiza las manifestaciones de esta dimensión de la internacionalización y constata la existencia de un conjunto más amplio de bienes y servicios asociados que están siendo sometidos a complejos y diversos procesos de internacionalización. A partir de allí se sostiene la hipótesis de una nueva dimensión en el intercambio internacional educativo referido a servicios de apoyo. Ello está siendo impulsado tanto por la digitalización de la enseñanza, como por la creciente terciarización de la gestión universitaria en un creciente contexto global y competitivo, lo cual muestra a su vez una más amplia articulación entre la virtualización educativa y la internacionalización de los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje

La internacionalización de la educación a distancia en América Latina

El artículo analiza como la región está inserta en un proceso de internacionalización, pero ella es de dimensiones muy reducida, lo cual redunda negativamente en el mejoramiento de la calidad. La educación transfronteriza es una de las cuatro modalidades a través de las cuales se desarrolla la educación internacional. El artículo analiza las manifestaciones de esta dimensión de la internacionalización y constata la existencia de un conjunto más amplio de bienes y servicios asociados que están siendo sometidos a complejos y diversos procesos de internacionalización. A partir de allí se sostiene la hipótesis de una nueva dimensión en el intercambio internacional educativo referido a servicios de apoyo. Ello está siendo impulsado tanto por la digitalización de la enseñanza, como por la creciente terciarización de la gestión universitaria en un creciente contexto global y competitivo, lo cual muestra a su vez una más amplia articulación entre la virtualización educativa y la internacionalización de los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje

La internacionalización de la educación a distancia en América Latina

El artículo analiza como la región está inserta en un proceso de internacionalización, pero ella es de dimensiones muy reducida, lo cual redunda negativamente en el mejoramiento de la calidad. La educación transfronteriza es una de las cuatro modalidades a través de las cuales se desarrolla la educación internacional. El artículo analiza las manifestaciones de esta dimensión de la internacionalización y constata la existencia de un conjunto más amplio de bienes y servicios asociados que están siendo sometidos a complejos y diversos procesos de internacionalización. A partir de allí se sostiene la hipótesis de una nueva dimensión en el intercambio internacional educativo referido a servicios de apoyo. Ello está siendo impulsado tanto por la digitalización de la enseñanza, como por la creciente terciarización de la gestión universitaria en un creciente contexto global y competitivo, lo cual muestra a su vez una más amplia articulación entre la virtualización educativa y la internacionalización de los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje

The Confucius institutes and China's soft power

The Confucius Institutes have been established by the Chinese government which operates them in collaboration with foreign universities and educational institutions in order to promote understanding of the Chinese language and culture. The first Confucius Institute opened its doors in Seoul, South Korea in 2004. Within the past seven years, 353 Confucius Institutes and 473 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 104 countries and regions. It is quite unusual for a language school to be able to make progress so rapidly. These developments raise a series of basic questions. First, what are the Confucius Institutes? What are their purpose and function? How have they been able to multiply so quickly? Are Confucius Institutes instruments of China's soft power? This article seeks to answer these questions by analyzing the details behind the establishment of Confucius Institutes, their organizational mechanism, and their activities. This paper concludes that due to insufficiency of cultural content and key concepts which can typify contemporary China, it is hard to see Confucius Institutes as China's soft power.

Methods and procedures to reduce motorist delays in European work zones /

"HPIP/10-00(10M)EW"--P. [4] of cover.

Safety applications of intelligent transportation systems in Europe and Japan.

"HPIP/I-06(3.5)EW"--Back cover.

The British printer

Description based on: Vol. 27, no. 157 (Apr./May 1914); title from caption

En/titled: The space where writing, editing and teaching intersect

Editing a literary magazine offers us a cultural space where our ideas and aesthetics can be expressed collectively and therefore be heard more effectively. This informs and frames our own writing by increasing our confidence in our own unusual voices. The sense of belonging Brand creates further breaks down the isolation of the writing life. The internationalism of Brand reinforces our own cultural identities as non-English writers. However, acting as a facilitator of others’ creativity can sometimes dissipate or even deplete creative energy. Editing and teaching can take over your writing to the point of annihilation. Further, in terms of external perceptions, you run the risk of disappearing as a writer. We shall look at how this can happen and explore ways that we can prevent it e.g. keeping the boundaries firm and clear.

Necesidades académicas, personales, sociales y vocacionales de estudiantes internacionales e intercambio en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras

Recibido 20 de setiembre de 2011 • Aceptado 24 de octubre de 2011 • Corregido 14 de noviembre de 2011   El propósito de este estudio fue identificar las necesidades de una muestra de estudiantes internacionales y de intercambio que cursan estudios en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras. Se exploraron datos socio-demográficos así como las necesidades académicas, vocacionales, y personales/sociales, con los fines de recopilar información de relevancia para universidades que sirven esta población y someter recomendaciones que atiendan las necesidades. Los hallazgos revelaron necesidades mayormente en las áreas académicas y vocacionales. Entre estas, se destacan la necesidad de aprender inglés o español, y el conocer sobre internados y ofrecimientos académicos en Puerto Rico y fuera del país, sueldo y oportunidades de empleo, ayudas económicas y servicios estudiantiles en la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Se proveen recomendaciones para trabajar con las necesidades identificadas ya que, según establece la bibliografía, las dificultades que confrontan estos/as estudiantes pueden afectar su desempeño académico e incluso su salud emocional.

Characterising creativity : a holistic methodology for the assessment of creative works

This paper reports on the early stages of a design experiment in educational assessment that challenges the dichotomous legacy evident in many assessment activities. Combining social networking technologies with the sociology of education the paper proposes that assessment activities are best understood as a negotiable field of exchange. In this design experiment students, peers and experts engage in explicit, "front-end" assessment (Wyatt-Smith, 2008) to translate holistic judgments into institutional, and potentiality economic capital without adhering to long lists of pre-set criteria. This approach invites participants to use social networking technologies to judge creative works using scatter graphs, keywords and tag clouds. In doing so assessors will refine their evaluative expertise and negotiate the characteristics of creative works from which criteria will emerge (Sadler, 2008). The real-time advantages of web-based technologies will aggregate, externalise and democratise this transparent method of assessment for most, if not all, creative works that can be represented in a digital format.

Cultural diversity, cultural networks and trade : international cultural policy debate

This article sketches some of the ways in which the language and concepts of cultural diversity are being taken up internationally. The debate has been driven in part by concerns about the treatment of cultural goods, services and knowledge in trade agreements. But it also involves larger questions about the role of the state, the role of non-state actors in domestic policy formation, and the shape and function of international policy communities comprising both state and non-state actors. The extent of the discussion of cultural diversity internationally is described through new formal and informal cultural networks and work towards an international instrument for cultural diversity to lay our ground rules for international trade, cultural exchange and policy principles to guide governmental responsibilities. The article concludes with analysis of some of these new networks, and investigates why Canada has been so prominent in these international efforts.

International Perspectives on Business Innovation and Disruption in the Creative Industries : Film, Video and Photography

This volume examines how disruptive innovations are reshaping industry boundaries and challenging conventional business models and practices in the industries for film, video and photography. The thirteen chapters provide a rich and diverse account of these processes from a wide range of country contexts. The book fills the gap between the study of disruption by innovation scholars in business schools and the recognition of disruption by academics and practitioners from non-business school disciplines and contexts, including the broader social sciences.

Introduction to "International Perspectives on Business Innovation and Disruption in the Creative Industries Film, Video and Photography"

The creative industries are particularly fecund empirical fields for investigating the processes of business innovation and disruption. The creative industries are some of the fastest growing sectors in many economies (European Commission, 2001; OECD, 2006; United States Census Bureau, 2010) and thus are worthy of study in their own right. Additionally, the study of the creative industries affords insights into how we understand the current economic transformation towards knowledge- based economies more broadly. The transformation toward knowledge- based economies has been foreshadowed by the transformation of creative industries such as publishing, film, video, photography, music and so on...