Human Resources Fast Stream

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Salary£24,501-£27,000Additional salary info£25-27k starting salary. Pension scheme and flexible working (plus childcare, crèche and sports facilities, depending on your department) ContractPermanentWorking hoursFull-timeClosing date31/10/2013 LocationNorthern Ireland, Greater LondonFull location detailsLondon and nationwideGraduates on our Generalist Fast Streams are deployed across the full range of the government’s responsibilities and work on every conceivable issue, from education to the environment, from national security to crime. There are a number of options available to you:

Central Departments
The Central Departments Fast Stream is by far the largest of the programmes, and includes all the major government departments except the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. You will gain exposure to a variety of departmental cultures during your time on the programme. One of your postings will probably be in a different part of the country. You can also expect a short secondment to the private sector, to a charity or to another public sector organisation. The experience is designed to prepare you for a wide range of leadership roles.

Diplomatic Service
A career in the Diplomatic Service offers an unrivalled international perspective and the chance to play an important role at the centre of world events. Your first two years on the Diplomatic Service Fast Stream will be spent in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Whitehall, with one year usually spent delivering policy and the other delivering services or in a corporate role (there is also the option to spend your second year studying a language such as Mandarin or Arabic). You’ll then go abroad for a three- or four-year posting, working in one of our embassies, high commissions or consulates. In fact, most of your career will be spent overseas in different countries, and you could potentially deal with everything from climate change in Brasilia to counter-terrorism in Islamabad.

Houses of Parliament
As a Houses of Parliament Fast Streamer, you will be employed by either the House of Commons or the House of Lords, where you will act as an official, providing members with assistance and advice. It’s a fascinating career for anyone interested in the constitution, politics and public policy. Most of your learning will occur on the job, although there will be formal training opportunities in areas such as public policy, personal development, management skills and IT. There are also regular seminars for staff in both Houses on aspects of parliamentary procedure and on developments in the administration and workings of the House.

Science and Engineering
This is your chance to join the network of professional scientists, engineers, technologists and mathematicians who contribute to a broad range of work in government departments, agencies and laboratories. You won’t be working as a bench scientist or technical engineer. The focus here is on applying specialist skills and knowledge to the development and application of policies, and you could potentially influence government action on issues as diverse as nuclear non-proliferation and climate change. Most Science and Engineering Fast Streamers work in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department for Energy and Climate Change or the Ministry of Defence.

The Fast Stream is the Civil Service’s graduate development programme. It is ranked among the top five Times Top 100 Graduate Employers – and with good reason. Preparing you for life as a senior leader in the Civil Service, the Fast Stream allows you to be part of solving the big issues and to have a real impact on the way the country is run.

During your time on the Fast Stream, you will move between contrasting roles and will typically gain some exposure to policy work as well as well as operational delivery. There are opportunities to work across the full range of government responsibilities, including education, health, the environment, the economy, transport, welfare, defence, justice, industry, and much more.

Whether you’re improving people’s employment prospects, widening access to public services, defending the country against natural disasters, or even shaping the future of the Civil Service itself, as a Fast Streamer you will always be taking the lead.

Our minimum requirement is a 2:2 degree in any subject. You must be a British citizen to apply for the Diplomatic Service, but all other Fast Streams are open to European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and Commonwealth citizens.

Any

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Scientists grow "mini human brains" from stem cells

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent

LONDON | Wed Aug 28, 2013 1:01pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have grown the first mini human brains in a laboratory and say their success could lead to new levels of understanding about the way brains develop and what goes wrong in disorders like schizophrenia and autism.

Researchers based in Austria started with human stem cells and created a culture in the lab that allowed them to grow into so-called "cerebral organoids" - or mini brains - that consisted of several distinct brain regions.

It is the first time that scientists have managed to replicate the development of brain tissue in three dimensions.

Using the organoids, the scientists were then able to produce a biological model of how a rare brain condition called microcephaly develops - suggesting the same technique could in future be used to model disorders like autism or schizophrenia that affect millions of people around the world.

"This study offers the promise of a major new tool for understanding the causes of major developmental disorders of the brain ... as well as testing possible treatments," said Paul Matthews, a professor of clinical neuroscience at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the research but was impressed with its results.

Zameel Cader, a consultant neurologist at Britain's John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, described the work as "fascinating and exciting". He said it extended the possibility of stem cell technologies for understanding brain development and disease mechanisms - and for discovering new drugs.

Although it starts as relatively simple tissue, the human brain swiftly develops into the most complex known natural structure, and scientists are largely in the dark about how that happens.

This makes it extremely difficult for researchers to gain an understanding of what might be going wrong in - and therefore how to treat - many common disorders of the brain such as depression, schizophrenia and autism.

GROWING STEM CELLS

To create their brain tissue, Juergen Knoblich and Madeline Lancaster at Austria's Institute of Molecular Biotechnology and fellow researchers at Britain's Edinburgh University Human Genetics Unit began with human stem cells and grew them with a special combination of nutrients designed to capitalize on the cells' innate ability to organize into complex organ structures.

They grew tissue called neuroectoderm - the layer of cells in the embryo from which all components of the brain and nervous system develop.

Fragments of this tissue were then embedded in a scaffold and put into a spinning bioreactor - a system that circulates oxygen and nutrients to allow them to grow into cerebral organoids.

After a month, the fragments had organized themselves into primitive structures that could be recognized as developing brain regions such as retina, choroid plexus and cerebral cortex, the researchers explained in a telephone briefing.

At two months, the organoids reached a maximum size of around 4 millimeters (0.16 inches), they said. Although they were very small and still a long way from resembling anything like the detailed structure of a fully developed human brain, they did contain firing neurons and distinct types of neural tissue.

"This is one of the cases where size doesn't really matter," Knoblich told reporters.

"Our system is not optimized for generation of an entire brain and that was not at all our goal. Our major goal was to analyze the development of human brain (tissue) and generate a model system we can use to transfer knowledge from animal models to a human setting."

In an early sign of how such mini brains may be useful for studying disease in the future, Knoblich's team were able to use their organoids to model the development of microcephaly, a rare neurological condition in which patients develop an abnormally small head, and identify what causes it.

Both the research team and other experts acknowledged, however, that the work was a very long way from growing a fully-functioning human brain in a laboratory.

"The human brain is the most complex thing in the known universe and has a frighteningly elaborate number of connections and interactions, both between its numerous subdivisions and the body in general," said Dean Burnett, lecturer in psychiatry at Cardiff University.

"Saying you can replicate the workings of the brain with some tissue in a dish in the lab is like inventing the first abacus and saying you can use it to run the latest version of Microsoft Windows - there is a connection there, but we're a long way from that sort of application yet."

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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Scientists grow "mini human brains" from stem cells

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent

LONDON | Wed Aug 28, 2013 1:01pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have grown the first mini human brains in a laboratory and say their success could lead to new levels of understanding about the way brains develop and what goes wrong in disorders like schizophrenia and autism.

Researchers based in Austria started with human stem cells and created a culture in the lab that allowed them to grow into so-called "cerebral organoids" - or mini brains - that consisted of several distinct brain regions.

It is the first time that scientists have managed to replicate the development of brain tissue in three dimensions.

Using the organoids, the scientists were then able to produce a biological model of how a rare brain condition called microcephaly develops - suggesting the same technique could in future be used to model disorders like autism or schizophrenia that affect millions of people around the world.

"This study offers the promise of a major new tool for understanding the causes of major developmental disorders of the brain ... as well as testing possible treatments," said Paul Matthews, a professor of clinical neuroscience at Imperial College London, who was not involved in the research but was impressed with its results.

Zameel Cader, a consultant neurologist at Britain's John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, described the work as "fascinating and exciting". He said it extended the possibility of stem cell technologies for understanding brain development and disease mechanisms - and for discovering new drugs.

Although it starts as relatively simple tissue, the human brain swiftly develops into the most complex known natural structure, and scientists are largely in the dark about how that happens.

This makes it extremely difficult for researchers to gain an understanding of what might be going wrong in - and therefore how to treat - many common disorders of the brain such as depression, schizophrenia and autism.

GROWING STEM CELLS

To create their brain tissue, Juergen Knoblich and Madeline Lancaster at Austria's Institute of Molecular Biotechnology and fellow researchers at Britain's Edinburgh University Human Genetics Unit began with human stem cells and grew them with a special combination of nutrients designed to capitalize on the cells' innate ability to organize into complex organ structures.

They grew tissue called neuroectoderm - the layer of cells in the embryo from which all components of the brain and nervous system develop.

Fragments of this tissue were then embedded in a scaffold and put into a spinning bioreactor - a system that circulates oxygen and nutrients to allow them to grow into cerebral organoids.

After a month, the fragments had organized themselves into primitive structures that could be recognized as developing brain regions such as retina, choroid plexus and cerebral cortex, the researchers explained in a telephone briefing.

At two months, the organoids reached a maximum size of around 4 millimeters (0.16 inches), they said. Although they were very small and still a long way from resembling anything like the detailed structure of a fully developed human brain, they did contain firing neurons and distinct types of neural tissue.

"This is one of the cases where size doesn't really matter," Knoblich told reporters.

"Our system is not optimized for generation of an entire brain and that was not at all our goal. Our major goal was to analyze the development of human brain (tissue) and generate a model system we can use to transfer knowledge from animal models to a human setting."

In an early sign of how such mini brains may be useful for studying disease in the future, Knoblich's team were able to use their organoids to model the development of microcephaly, a rare neurological condition in which patients develop an abnormally small head, and identify what causes it.

Both the research team and other experts acknowledged, however, that the work was a very long way from growing a fully-functioning human brain in a laboratory.

"The human brain is the most complex thing in the known universe and has a frighteningly elaborate number of connections and interactions, both between its numerous subdivisions and the body in general," said Dean Burnett, lecturer in psychiatry at Cardiff University.

"Saying you can replicate the workings of the brain with some tissue in a dish in the lab is like inventing the first abacus and saying you can use it to run the latest version of Microsoft Windows - there is a connection there, but we're a long way from that sort of application yet."

(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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NEW: Guidance for Reducing Health Risks to Workers Handling Human Waste or Sewage

Workers who handle human waste or sewage are at increased risk of becoming ill (i.e., from water-washed, waterborne and water-carried diseases). To reduce this risk and protect against illness, including cholera, the following guidance should be followed by workers and employers.

Wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling human waste or sewage.Avoid touching face, mouth, eyes, nose, or open sores and cuts while handling human waste or sewage.After handling human waste or sewage, wash your hands with soap and water before eating or drinking.After handling human waste or sewage, wash your hands with soap and water before and after using the toilet.Before eating, removed soiled work clothes and eat in designated areas away from human waste and sewage-handling activities.Do not smoke or chew tobacco or gum while handling human waste or sewage.Keep open sores, cuts, and wounds covered with clean, dry bandages.Gently flush eyes with safe water if human waste or sewage contacts eyes.Use waterproof gloves to prevent cuts and contact with human waste or sewage.Wear rubber boots at the worksite and during transport of human waste or sewage.Remove rubber boots and work clothes before leaving worksite.Clean contaminated work clothing daily with 0.05% chlorine solution (1 part household bleach to 100 parts water).

Workers handling human waste or sewage should be provided proper PPE, training on how to use it, and hand washing facilities. Workers should wash hands with soap and water immediately after removing PPE. The following PPE is recommended for workers handing human waste or sewage:

Goggles: to protect eyes from splashes of human waste or sewage.Protective face mask or splash-proof face shield: to protect nose and mouth from splashes of human waste or sewage.Liquid-repellent coveralls: to keep human waste or sewage off clothing. Waterproof gloves: to prevent exposure to human waste or sewage.Rubber boots: to prevent exposure to human waste or sewage.

All workers who handle human waste or sewage should receive training on cholera prevention. The training should include information on basic hygiene practices; use and disposal of personal protective equipment; proper handling of human waste or sewage; signs and symptoms of cholera; and ways in which cholera can be transmitted. Workers must also be urged to promptly seek medical attention if displaying any signs or symptoms of cholera, such as vomiting, stomach cramps and watery diarrhea.

Vaccination recommendations for workers exposed to sewage or human waste should be developed in consultation with local health authorities. Tetanus vaccinations should be up to date, with consideration also given to the need for polio, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccinations.

The recommendations made in this document are based on best practices and procedures. Worker health and safety risks are likely to vary among specific locations and a trained health and safety professional should be consulted to create site specific worker health and safety plans.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) [2002] Guidance for Controlling Potential Risks to Workers Exposed to Class B Biosolids. National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health: 2002-149. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2002-149/2002-149.html.

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Cells culled from adults may grow human bone

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Ancient tooth may provide evidence of early human dentistry

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Human microbe study provides insight into health, disease

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Science Podcast - Scars of Human Evolution - AAAS Meeting [Feb 15, 2013]

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Who Was the First Human Ancestor? - Instant Egghead

From the time of Charles Darwin science has painted a picture of our earliest ancestor in the image of a chimpanzee. Scientific American editor Katherine Harmon explains how new fossil evidence is redrawing the lines of human evolution.

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Crucial step in human DNA replication observed for the first time

An elusive step in the process of human DNA replication has been observed, for the first time, by scientists at Penn State University in the lab of Stephen J. Benkovic. The step, which is crucial for DNA replication in humans and other forms of life, previously had remained mysterious and had not been well studied in human DNA. For illustrative purposes, this image represents a crucial molecular player in the process, by a hand, which is loading the sliding clamp ring onto DNA. Credit: Benkovic lab, Penn State University

(Phys.org) —For the first time, an elusive step in the process of human DNA replication has been demystified by scientists at Penn State University. According to senior author Stephen J. Benkovic, an Evan Pugh Professor of Chemistry and Holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Chemistry at Penn State, the scientists "discovered how a key step in human DNA replication is performed." The results of the research will be published in the journal eLife on 2 April 2013.

Part of the DNA replication process—in humans and in other life forms—involves loading of molecular structures called sliding clamps onto DNA. This crucial step in DNA replication had remained somewhat mysterious and had not been well studied in human DNA replication. Mark Hedglin, a post-doctoral researcher in Penn State's Department of Chemistry and a member of Benkovic's team, explained that the sliding clamp is a ring-shaped protein that acts to encircle the DNA strand, latching around it like a watch band. The sliding clamp then serves to anchor special enzymes called polymerases to the DNA, ensuring efficient copying of the genetic material. "Without a sliding clamp, polymerases can copy very few bases—the molecular 'letters' that make up the code of DNA—at a time. But the clamp helps the polymerase to stay in place, allowing it to copy thousands of bases before being removed from the strand of DNA," Hedglin said.

Hedglin explained that, due to the closed circular structure of sliding clamps, another necessary step in DNA replication is the presence of a "clamp loader," which acts to latch and unlatch the sliding clamps at key stages during the process. "The big unknown has always been how the sliding clamp and the clamp loader interact and the timing of latching and unlatching of the clamp from the DNA," said Hedglin. "We know that polymerases and clamp loaders can't bind the sliding clamp at the same time, so the hypothesis was that clamp loaders latched sliding clamps onto DNA, then left for some time during DNA replication, returning only to unlatch the clamps after the polymerase left so they could be recycled for further use."

To test this hypothesis, the team of researchers used a method called Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), a technique of attaching fluorescent "tags" to human proteins and sections of DNA in order to monitor the interactions between them. "With these tags in place, we then observed the formation of holoenzymes—the active form of the polymerase involved in DNA replication, which consists of the polymerase itself along with any accessory factors that optimize its activity," Hedglin said. "We found that whenever a sliding clamp is loaded onto a DNA template in the absence of polymerase, the clamp loader quickly removed the clamp so that free clamps did not build up on the DNA. However, whenever a polymerase was present, it captured the sliding clamp and the clamp loader then dissociated from the DNA strand."

The team members also found that, during the moments when both the clamp loader and the clamp were bound to the DNA, they were not intimately engaged with each other. Rather, the clamp loader released the closed clamp onto the DNA, allowing an opportunity for the polymerase to capture the clamp, completing the assembly of the holoenzyme. Subsequently, the clamp loader dissociated from DNA. "Our research demonstrates that the DNA polymerase holoenzyme in humans consists of only a clamp and a DNA polymerase. The clamp loader is not part of it. It disengages from the DNA after the polymerase binds the clamp," Hedglin added.

Benkovic noted that this mechanism provides a means for the cell to recycle scarce clamps when they are not in use for productive replication.

Journal reference: eLife

Provided by Pennsylvania State University

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