Absentéisme au travail : l'absence comme moyen de rétablir l'équité au travail lors d'iniquités perçues

L'objet de cette recherche porte sur le phénomène de î'absentéisme au travail. Les chercheurs, depuis plus de 30 ans, ont testé plusieurs modèles théoriques expliquant les causes probables de ce phénomène. Les recherches portant sur l'absentéisme reposent sur trois approches essentielles : l'approche individuelle, l'approche psychosociale et l'approche économique. L'absentéisme et ses modèles causaux font appel à plusieurs variables d'ordre psychologique, social, contextuel ou économique. Le cadre théorique choisi pour cette recherche provient d'une étude effectuée par De Boer et col! (2002), Le modèle met en relation l'absentéisme et tes iniquités perçues provenant du contexte de travail. En s'appuyant, entre autres, sur la théorie de l'équité d'Adams (1965 dans De Boer et coll., 2002), l'absence au travail serait un mécanisme de restitution de l'équité. Afin de tester ce modèle causal, cette recherche fait appel à un terrain composé de travailleurs salariés d'une entreprise québécoise oeuvrant dans l'industrie des centres de contacts avec ta clientèle. Les employés de l'organisation ont été sondés par un questionnaire construit d'énoncés mesurant la perception d'équité, la perception de l'engagement affectif et des paramètres biopsychosociaux venant raffiner le modèle et permettant d'explorer de nouvelles avenues. Onze hypothèses de recherche, soit deux hypothèses principales, trois hypothèses secondaires et six hypothèses tertiaires, ont été formulées à partir du modèle théorique choisi dans le cadre de cette étude. L'objectif primordial de cette recherche était de tester les deux hypothèses principales suivantes : H1 : L'équité distributive a un effet direct et négatif sur l'absentéisme. H2 : L'équité procédurale, à travers ses effets positifs sur l'engagement affectif, a un effet indirect et négatif sur l'absentéisme. À partir des données fournies par les questionnaires et l'employeur concernant l'absence au travail, le chercheur a été en mesure d'effectuer une analyse par régressions linéaires entre tes perceptions de l'équité au travail des employés et leur comportement d'absentéisme. Les résultats de ces analyses ne permettent pas la confirmation complète de ces deux hypothèses principales. Le seul élément confirmé concerne l'hypothèse H2. Effectivement, il est démontré statistiquement que l'équité procédurale agit positivement sur l'engagement affectif. Par contre, l'engagement affectif agit sur le comportement d'absentéisme seulement dans les cas d'absence pour motif de maladie. Les tests concernant les neuf autres hypothèses de recherche à titre d'exploration, ont permis de tirer les constats suivants : l'ancienneté au travail affecte la perception de l?équité; le contrôle exercé par l'employé sur la tâche de travail agit sur la perception de l?équité au travail; et la situation familiale de remployé a été corrélée avec l'absence autorisée. L'analyse des résultats de cette recherche a permis au chercheur de présenter trois nouvelles pistes de recherche et futures recherches portant sur: a) tes relations de dépendance entre l'engagement affectif d'un employé envers l'organisation, la perception de la gravité de l'état de santé et le comportement d'absentéisme; b) la culture organisationnelle du terrain de recherche et la mesure des cultures d'absences potentielles, faibles ou fortes; et c) ta tolérance des organisations envers les absences des employés ayant des responsabilités familiales. Les conclusions retenues font état de l'importance d'effectuer les recherches sur l'absentéisme dans une visée interdisciplinaire provenant des trois approches, individuelle, psychosociale et économique

How target‑orientated is the use of homeopathy in dairy farming?—A survey in France, Germany and Spain

Background: Veterinary remedies are intended to support animals in their recovery from diseases. Treatment outcome depends not only on the general effectiveness of the remedies themselves, but also on other prerequisites. This is true for antibiotics, but even more so for treatments with homeopathic products which are characterised by their individualised approach. While the effectiveness of homeopathy has been addressed in various clinical control trials, the practical conditions under which homeopathic products are used on dairy farms have not yet been investigated. This study provides an initial insight into the existing prerequisites on dairy farms for the use of homeopathy (i.e. the consideration of homeopathic principles) and on homeopathic treatment procedures (including anamnesis, clinical examination, diagnosis, selection of a remedy, follow-up checks, and documentation) on 64 dairy farms in France, Germany and Spain. The use of homeopathy was assessed via a standardised questionnaire during face-to-face interviews. Results: The study revealed that homeopathic treatment procedures were applied very heterogeneously and differed considerably between farms and countries. Farmers also use human products without veterinary prescription as well as other prohibited substances. Conclusions: The subjective treatment approach using the farmers’ own criteria, together with their neglecting to check the outcome of the treatment and the lack of appropriate documentation is presumed to substantially reduce the potential for a successful recovery of the animals from diseases. There is, thus, a need to verify the effectiveness of homeopathic treatments in farm practices based on a lege artis treatment procedure and homeopathic principles which can be achieved by the regular monitoring of treatment outcomes and the prevailing rate of the disease at herd level. Furthermore, there is a potential risk to food safety due to the use of non-veterinary drugs without veterinary prescription and the use of other prohibited substances. Keywords: Dairy cattle, lege artis treatment, Monitoring treatment outcome, Use of homeopathyinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An end-user perspective on smart home energy systems in the PowerMatching City demonstration project

In discussions on smart grids, it is often stated that residential end-users will play a more active role in the management of the electric power system. Experience in practice on how to empower end-users for such a role is however limited. This paper presents a field study in the first phase of the PowerMatching City project in which twenty-two households were equipped with demand-response-enabled heating systems and white goods. Although end-users were satisfied with the degree of living comfort afforded by the smart energy system, the user interface did not provide sufficient control and energy feedback to support an active contribution to the balancing of supply and demand. The full potential of demand response was thus not realized. The second phase of the project builds on these findings by design, implementation and evaluation of an improved user interface in combination with two demand response propositions

Capturing systemic interrelationships by an impact analysis to help reduce production diseases in dairy farms

Production diseases, such asmetabolic and reproductive disorders,mastitis, and lameness,emerge from complex interactions between numerous factors (or variables) but can be controlled by the right management decisions. Since animal husbandry systems in practice are very diverse, it is difficult to identify the most influential components in the individual farm context. However, it is necessary to do this to control disease, since farmers are severely limited in their access to resources, and need to invest in management measures most likely to have an effect. In this study, systemic impact analyses were conducted on 192 organic dairy farms in France, Germany, Spain, and Sweden in the context of reducing the prevalence of production diseases. The impact analyses were designed to evaluate the interrelationships between farm variables and determine the systemic roles of these variables. In particular, the aim was to identify the most influential variables on each farm. The impact analysis consisted of a stepwise process: (i) in a participatory process 13 relevant system variables affecting the emergence of production diseases on organic dairy farms were defined; (ii) the interrelationships between these variables were evaluated by means of an impact matrix on the farm-level, involving the perspectives of the farmer, an advisor and the farm veterinarian; and (iii) the results were then used to identify general system behaviour and to classify variables by their level of influence on other system variables and their susceptibility to influence. Variables were either active (high influence, lowsusceptibility), reactive (low influence, high susceptibility), critical (both high), or buffering (both low). An overall active tendency was found for feeding regime, housing conditions, herd health monitoring, and knowledge and skills, while milk performance and financial resources tended to be reactive. Production diseases and labour capacity had a tendency for being critical while reproduction management, dry cow management, calf and heifer management, hygiene and treatment tended to have a buffering capacity. While generalised tendencies for variables emerged, the specific role of variables could vary widely between farms. The strength of this participatory impact assessment approach is its ability, through filling in the matrix and discussion of the output between farmer, advisor and veterinarian, to explicitly identify deviations from general expectations, thereby supporting a farm-specific selection of health management strategies and measures

Molecular adaptations of the blood–brain barrier promote stress resilience vs. depression

Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that inflammation and vascular dysfunction contribute to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Chronic social stress alters blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity through loss of tight junction protein claudin-5 (cldn5) in male mice, promoting passage of circulating proinflammatory cytokines and depression-like behaviors. This effect is prominent within the nucleus accumbens, a brain region associated with mood regulation; however, the mechanisms involved are unclear. Moreover, compensatory responses leading to proper behavioral strategies and active resilience are unknown. Here we identify active molecular changes within the BBB associated with stress resilience that might serve a protective role for the neurovasculature. We also confirm the relevance of such changes to human depression and antidepressant treatment. We show that permissive epigenetic regulation of cldn5 expression and low endothelium expression of repressive cldn5-related transcription factor foxo1 are associated with stress resilience. Regionand endothelial cell-specific whole transcriptomic analyses revealed molecular signatures associated with stress vulnerability vs. resilience. We identified proinflammatory TNFα/NFκB signaling and hdac1 as mediators of stress susceptibility. Pharmacological inhibition of stress-induced increase in hdac1 activity rescued cldn5 expression in the NAc and promoted resilience. Importantly, we confirmed changes in HDAC1 expression in the NAc of depressed patients without antidepressant treatment in line with CLDN5 loss. Conversely, many of these deleterious CLDN5-related molecular changes were reduced in postmortem NAc from antidepressanttreated subjects. These findings reinforce the importance of considering stress-induced neurovascular pathology in depression and provide therapeutic targets to treat this mood disorder and promote resilience

Vascular and blood-brain barrier-related changes underlie stress responses and resilience in female mice and depression in human tissue

Prevalence, symptoms, and treatment of depression suggest that major depressive disorders (MDD) present sex differences. Social stress-induced neurovascular pathology is associated with depressive symptoms in male mice; however, this association is unclear in females. Here, we report that chronic social and subchronic variable stress promotes blood-brain barrier (BBB) alterations in mood-related brain regions of female mice. Targeted disruption of the BBB in the female prefrontal cortex (PFC) induces anxiety- and depression-like behaviours. By comparing the endothelium cell-specific transcriptomic profiling of the mouse male and female PFC, we identify several pathways and genes involved in maladaptive stress responses and resilience to stress. Furthermore, we confirm that the BBB in the PFC of stressed female mice is leaky. Then, we identify circulating vascular biomarkers of chronic stress, such as soluble E-selectin. Similar changes in circulating soluble E-selectin, BBB gene expression and morphology can be found in blood serum and postmortem brain samples from women diagnosed with MDD. Altogether, we propose that BBB dysfunction plays an important role in modulating stress responses in female mice and possibly MDD

A systematic review of the validated monogenic causes of human male infertility : 2020 update and a discussion of emerging gene-disease relationships

Altres ajuts: National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1120356); Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (918-15-667); Wellcome Trust (209451); German Research Foundation (DFG, CRU326); National Institutes of Health: Genomics of Spermatogenic Impairment (R01HD078641); Ministerio de Sanidad.Background: Human male infertility has a notable genetic component, including well-established diagnoses such as Klinefelter syndrome, Y-chromosome microdeletions and monogenic causes. Approximately 4% of all infertile men are now diagnosed with a genetic cause, but a majority (60-70%) remain without a clear diagnosis and are classified as unexplained. This is likely in large part due to a delay in the field adopting next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, and the absence of clear statements from field leaders as to what constitutes a validated cause of human male infertility (the current paper aims to address this). Fortunately, there has been a significant increase in the number of male infertility NGS studies. These have revealed a considerable number of novel gene-disease relationships (GDRs), which each require stringent assessment to validate the strength of genotype-phenotype associations. To definitively assess which of these GDRs are clinically relevant, the International Male Infertility Genomics Consortium (IMIGC) has identified the need for a systematic review and a comprehensive overview of known male infertility genes and an assessment of the evidence for reported GDRs. Objective and Rationale: In 2019, the first standardised clinical validity assessment of monogenic causes of male infertility was published. Here, we provide a comprehensive update of the subsequent 1.5 years, employing the joint expertise of the IMIGC to systematically evaluate all available evidence (as of 1 July 2020) for monogenic causes of isolated or syndromic male infertility, endocrine disorders or reproductive system abnormalities affecting the male sex organs. In addition, we systematically assessed the evidence for all previously reported possible monogenic causes of male infertility, using a framework designed for a more appropriate clinical interpretation of disease genes. Search Methods: We performed a literature search according to the PRISMA guidelines up until 1 July 2020 for publications in English, using search terms related to 'male infertility' in combination with the word 'genetics' in PubMed. Next, the quality and the extent of all evidence supporting selected genes were assessed using an established and standardised scoring method. We assessed the experimental quality, patient phenotype assessment and functional evidence based on gene expression, mutant in-vitro cell and in-vivo animal model phenotypes. A final score was used to determine the clinical validity of each GDR, across the following five categories: no evidence, limited, moderate, strong or definitive. Variants were also reclassified according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics-Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG-AMP) guidelines and were recorded in spreadsheets for each GDR, which are available at imigc.org. Outcomes: The primary outcome of this review was an overview of all known GDRs for monogenic causes of human male infertility and their clinical validity. We identified a total of 120 genes that were moderately, strongly or definitively linked to 104 infertility phenotypes. Wider Implications: Our systematic review curates all currently available evidence to reveal the strength of GDRs in male infertility. The existing guidelines for genetic testing in male infertility cases are based on studies published 25 years ago, and an update is far overdue. The identification of 104 high-probability 'human male infertility genes' is a 33% increase from the number identified in 2019. The insights generated in the current review will provide the impetus for an update of existing guidelines, will inform novel evidence-based genetic testing strategies used in clinics, and will identify gaps in our knowledge of male infertility genetics. We discuss the relevant international guidelines regarding research related to gene discovery and provide specific recommendations to the field of male infertility. Based on our findings, the IMIGC consortium recommend several updates to the genetic testing standards currently employed in the field of human male infertility, most important being the adoption of exome sequencing, or at least sequencing of the genes validated in this study, and expanding the patient groups for which genetic testing is recommended

Multiple glacial refugia and contemporary dispersal shape the genetic structure of an endemic amphibian from the Pyrenees

Historical factors (colonization scenarios, demographic oscillations) and contemporary processes (population connectivity, current population size) largely contribute to shaping species’ present-day genetic diversity and structure. In this study, we use a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers to understand the role of Quaternary climatic oscillations and present-day gene flow dynamics in determining the genetic diversity and structure of the newt Calotriton asper (Al. Dugès, 1852), endemic to the Pyrenees. Mitochondrial DNA did not show a clear phylogeographic pattern and presented low levels of variation. In contrast, microsatellites revealed five major genetic lineages with admixture patterns at their boundaries. Approximate Bayesian computation analyses and linear models indicated that the five lineages likely underwent separate evolutionary histories and can be tracked back to distinct glacial refugia. Lineage differentiation started around the Last Glacial Maximum at three focal areas (western, central and eastern Pyrenees) and extended through the end of the Last Glacial Period in the central Pyrenees, where it led to the formation of two more lineages. Our data revealed no evidence of recent dispersal between lineages, whereas borders likely represent zones of secondary contact following expansion from multiple refugia. Finally, we did not find genetic evidence of sex-biased dispersal. This work highlights the importance of integrating past evolutionary processes and present-day gene flow and dispersal dynamics, together with multilocus approaches, to gain insights into what shaped the current genetic attributes of amphibians living in montane habitats.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Salvage Stereotactic Reirradiation for Local Recurrence in the Prostatic Bed After Prostatectomy: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

Background: Management of local recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) in the prostatic bed after radical prostatectomy (RP) and radiotherapy remains challenging. Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of salvage stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) reirradiation in this setting and evaluate prognostic factors. Design, setting, and participants: We conducted a large multicenter retrospective series that included 117 patients who were treated with salvage SBRT for local recurrence in the prostatic bed after RP and radiotherapy in 11 centers across three countries. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Progression-free survival (PFS; biochemical, clinical, or both) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Biochemical recurrence was defined as prostate-specific antigen nadir +0.2 ng/ml, confirmed by a second increasing measure. The cumulative incidence of late toxicities was estimated using the Kalbfleisch-Prentice method by considering recurrence or death as a competing event. Results and limitations: The median follow-up was 19.5 mo. The median SBRT dose was 35 Gy. The median PFS was 23.5 mo (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 17.6-33.2). In the multivariable models, the volume of the recurrence and its contact with the urethrovesical anastomosis were significantly associated with PFS (hazard ratio [HR]/10 cm3 = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.08-1.96; p = 0.01 and HR = 3.35; 95% CI, 1.38-8.16; p = 0.008, respectively). The 3-yr cumulative incidence of grade ≥2 late GU or GI toxicity was 18% (95% CI, 10-26). In the multivariable analysis, a recurrence in contact with the urethrovesical anastomosis and D2% of the bladder were significantly associated with late toxicities of any grade (HR = 3.65; 95% CI, 1.61-8.24; p = 0.002 and HR/10 Gy = 1.88; 95% CI, 1.12-3.16; p = 0.02, respectively). Conclusions: Salvage SBRT for local recurrence in the prostate bed may offer encouraging control and acceptable toxicity. Therefore, further prospective studies are warranted. Patient summary: We found that salvage stereotactic body radiotherapy after surgery and radiotherapy allows for encouraging control and acceptable toxicity in locally relapsed prostate cancer