Workplace Contextual Supports for LGBT Employees: A Review, Meta‐Analysis, and Agenda for future Research

The past decade has witnessed a rise in the visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. This has resulted in some organizational researchers focusing their attention on workplace issues facing LGBT employees. While empirical research has been appropriately focused on examining the impact of workplace factors on the work lives of LGBT individuals, no research has examined these empirical relationships cumulatively. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive review and meta‐analysis of the outcomes associated with three workplace contextual supports (formal LGBT policies and practices, LGBT‐supportive climate, and supportive workplace relationships) and to compare the relative influence of these workplace supports on outcomes. Outcomes were grouped into four categories: (a) work attitudes, (b) psychological strain, (c) disclosure, and (d) perceived discrimination. Results show that supportive workplace relationships were more strongly related to work attitudes and strain, whereas LGBT supportive climate was more strongly related to disclosure and perceived discrimination compared to the other supports. Our findings also revealed a number of insights concerning the measurement, research design, and sample characteristics of the studies in the present review. Based on these results, we offer an agenda for future research

The impact of extended shifts on strain‐based work–life conflict: A qualitative analysis of the role of context on temporal processes of retroactive and anticipatory spillover

Twelve‐h shifts can facilitate 24‐h service provision and are often implemented in pursuit of financial goals. Existing evidence on the benefits of extended shifts is mixed. This study examines the impact of extended shifts on employee strain in a large mental healthcare organisation in England. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with nurses and healthcare assistants at 6 and 12 months intervals(n=70). Findings illustrate how extended shift patterns have a profound negative effect on high demands already confronting mental health staff, shaping spillover of strain. Analysis contributes to development of strain‐based work–life conflict theory by conceptualising spillover as temporal and iterative. We argue theory should differentiate between retroactive (backward facing) and anticipatory (forward facing) spillover processes. Using context as a lens and identification of new dimensions to strain‐based spillover aids interpretation of differential effects of extended shifts across settings. The study discusses implications for organisations, recovery and scheduling of shift work

The Effects of Air and Underwater Blast on Composite Sandwich Panels and Tubular Laminate Structures

The resistance of glass-fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich panels and laminate tubes to blast in air and underwater environments has been studied. Procedures for monitoring the structural response of such materials during blast events have been devised. High-speed photography was employed during the air-blast loading of GFRP sandwich panels, in conjunction with digital image correlation (DIC), to monitor the deformation of these structures under shock loading. Failure mechanisms have been revealed by using DIC and confirmed in post-test sectioning. Strain gauges were used to monitor the structural response of similar sandwich materials and GFRP tubular laminates during underwater shocks. The effect of the backing medium (air or water) of the target facing the shock has been identified during these studies. Mechanisms of failure have been established such as core crushing, skin/core cracking, delamination and fibre breakage. Strain gauge data supported the mechanisms for such damage. These studies were part of a research programme sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) investigating blast loading of composite naval structures. The full-scale experimental results presented here will aid and assist in the development of analytical and computational models. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of support and boundary conditions with regards to blast resistant design

Gang Innovation, Patriarchy and Powerlessness : Expanding Theory To Relfect [Reflect] American Politics

When cities grew large enough to develop slums, gangs began to form. The heritage of gang behavior is poverty and its children: abuse, alcoholism, and drug addiction, to name a few. Today we are facing a problem of major proportions in our cities. Gang membership is seemingly growing with no end in sight, and a beleaguered nation, a struggling city, the mother of a gang member all ask: Why? There are probably several answers and more questions. This paper is an attempt to understand the problem of gang delinquency by utilizing already existing theory. Robert Merton\u27s Strain Theory lends itself to the discussion of gang delinquency; however, this paper will expand on the theory and link it to the powerlessness of young minority males and patriarchal ideology

Neglected or Hidden: Connecting Employers and People with Disabilities in Canada

[Excerpt] The Canadian Abilities Foundation (CAF) undertook the nation-wide Neglected or Hidden research project to determine why employment continues to be an elusive dream for tens of thousands of Canadians with disabilities. The Foundation felt that a better understanding of the overall employment-related challenges facing people with disabilities, and how to overcome them, would positively influence their employment levels. Employers would be able to tap into a new wealth of human capital, while increased employment would reduce the strain on the limited financial resources available to the community organizations that provide employment-related services to people with disabilities. As a side benefit, governments would experience a reduced dependence on various “safety net” programs used by unemployed people with disabilities. Should savings in this are be passed along to taxpayers, they too would benefit from this increased employment

Application of distributed optical fiber sensors for the health monitoring of two real structures in Barcelona

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Structure and Infrastructure Engineering on 2018, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/15732479.2018.1438479The versatility and ease of installation of Distributed Optical Fibre Sensors (DOFS) compared with traditional monitoring systems are important characteristics to consider when facing the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of real world structures. The DOFS used in this study provide continuous (in space) strain data along the optical fibre with high spatial resolution. The main issues and results of two different existing structures monitored with DOFS, are described in this paper. The main SHM results of the rehabilitation of an historical building used as hospital and the enlargement of a pre-stressed concrete bridge are presented. The results are obtained using a novel DOFS based on an Optical Backscattered Reflectometry (OBR) technique. The application of the optical fibre monitoring system to two different materials (masonry and concrete) provides also important insights on the great possibilities of this technique when monitoring existing structures. In fact, the influence of strain transfer between the DOFS and the bonding surface is one of the principal effects that should be considered in the application of the OBR technique to real structures. Moreover, and because structural surfaces generally present considerable roughness, the procedure to attach the optical fibre to the two monitored structures is described.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Energy Poverty in Buffalo\u27s West Side: PUSH, National Fuel, and the Fight for Equitable Energy Access

Energy poverty, the condition of households that cannot adequately heat their homes, is a chronic problem resulting from low income, high fuel prices, and poorly insulated, energy inefficient houses. In addition to financial strain, energy poverty causes severe social and health problems for people living in under-heated homes (Boardman 1991; 2013). Despite its seriousness and pervasiveness, energy poverty has been ignored too often in the US. Those that suffer through energy poverty each year, trapped in bitterly cold homes and facing exorbitant fuel bills, have only rarely organized effectively to demand necessary changes, making the case of People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) so significant. Through community organizing, advocacy, and protest, PUSH catalyzed unprecedented shifts in the distribution of energy conservation funding in Western New York, ensuring that a greater share went toward low-income households for weatherization

An experimental investigation of the separating/reattaching flow over a backstep

Transport characteristics of the turbulent kinetic energy, k, and the shear stream, bar(-uv), were studied in an incompressible boundary layer downstream of the reattachment of the separated flow behind a backward facing step. Hot-wire measurement techniques were used to measure three Reynolds stresses and higher order mean products of velocity fluctuations. These quantities were used to evaluate advection, turbulent diffusion, and production terms of the k and bar(-uv) transport equations. The dissipation rate and pressure-strain terms were obtained as the difference of all the other terms. The Reynolds number based on the step height was 37,000 and the upstream oncoming flow was fully developed turbulent boundary layer with the R(sub theta) = 3600

Paternal Involvement with Special Needs Children

The focus of this study is paternal involvement of fathers with special needs children. Role salience, parental satisfaction, reflected appraisals, and contextual variables were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between empowerment and paternal involvement. It was also hypothesized that financial strain would moderate the relationship between empowerment and paternal involvement, as mediated by the identity theory variables and contextual variables. The researcher additionally hypothesized that empowerment would be more important to men facing higher levels of financial strain. These hypotheses were investigated using data from the Pathways Research Project, which evaluated Tennessee’s Early Intervention System (TEIS). TEIS provides services to families with special needs children under the age of three. The children in the sample had previously been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida, Down syndrome, developmental delays, and speech and/or hearing delays. Findings revealed that the relationship between empowerment and paternal involvement was mediated by role salience and parental satisfaction. In addition, the results showed that the mediated model was moderated by financial strain, such that empowerment was found to be extremely important for men facing high levels of financial strain

<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> in the production of whisk(e)y

Whisk(e)y is a major global distilled spirit beverage. Whiskies are produced from cereal starches that are saccharified, fermented and distilled prior to spirit maturation. The strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae employed in whisky fermentations is crucially important not only in terms of ethanol yields, but also for production of minor yeast metabolites which collectively contribute to development of spirit flavour and aroma characteristics. Distillers must therefore pay very careful attention to the strain of yeast exploited to ensure consistency of fermentation performance and spirit congener profiles. In the Scotch whisky industry, initiatives to address sustainability issues facing the industry (for example, reduced energy and water usage) have resulted in a growing awareness regarding criteria for selecting new distilling yeasts with improved efficiency. For example, there is now a desire for Scotch whisky distilling yeasts to perform under more challenging conditions such as high gravity wort fermentations. This article highlights the important roles of S. cerevisiae strains in whisky production (with particular emphasis on Scotch) and describes key fermentation performance attributes sought in distiller’s yeast, such as high alcohol yields, stress tolerance and desirable congener profiles. We hope that the information herein will be useful for whisky producers and yeast suppliers in selecting new distilling strains of S. cerevisiae, and for the scientific community to stimulate further research in this area