388 research outputs found
Dignity at Work for Low Wage, Low Skill Service Workers
Using responses from a telephone survey of 589 low wage, low skill workers in US hospitals, the authors investigate the workplace features that influence workers’ perceptions of dignity at work. Both work organization variables and union representation are investigated as potential factors affecting workers’ perceptions of fair treatment by their employer, intrinsically satisfying work, and economic security. Work organization and union representation have little effect on dignity at work with the exception of their association with higher wages and therefore a greater degree of economic security. Results indicate that higher pay, adequate levels of staffing and resources, and access to training are the variables that are most closely associated with dignity on the job.On a rĂ©cemment accordĂ© beaucoup d’attention Ă l’inĂ©galitĂ© croissante des gains et aux conditions Ă©conomiques qui se dĂ©tĂ©riorent chez les travailleurs Ă faibles revenus (Levy et Murnane, 1992; Johnson et Kuhn, 2004). En plus de faibles revenus, ces travailleurs doivent aussi affronter de mauvaises conditions de travail : insĂ©curitĂ© d’emploi, traitement arbitraire et absence de reprĂ©sentation. De plus en plus, en relations industrielles, on cherche comment amĂ©liorer la vie au travail de ces travailleurs. La dignitĂ© au travail est devenue un sujet de ralliement, non seulement pour les syndicats, comme ce fut traditionnellement le cas, mais aussi pour les dĂ©cideurs politiques et les intellectuels.Dans cet article, nous avons voulu Ă©valuer les effets de certaines caractĂ©ristiques des lieux de travail sur les perceptions que les travailleurs se font de la dignitĂ© au travail, en recourant Ă une enquĂŞte auprès des personnes occupant des postes peu qualifiĂ©s et peu rĂ©munĂ©rĂ©s dans le secteur des services. De plus, nous nous sommes demandĂ©s si la reprĂ©sentation syndicale ou des changements dans l’organisation du travail associĂ©s Ă des pratiques de haut rendement au travail affectent ou non la perception de ces travailleurs de la dignitĂ© en emploi.Les donnĂ©es proviennent d’une enquĂŞte effectuĂ©e dans quinze hĂ´pitaux communautaires amĂ©ricains. Ce type d’hĂ´pitaux constitue la majeure partie des hĂ´pitaux aux États-Unis, et nous avons retenu le groupe le plus reprĂ©sentatif, c’est-Ă -dire ceux qui comptent entre 200 et 400 lits. Les hĂ´pitaux sont rĂ©partis dans presque toutes les rĂ©gions du pays. L’étude a dĂ©butĂ© Ă l’étĂ© de l’annĂ©e 2000 et elle s’est terminĂ©e au printemps de 2002.Notre analyse s’appuie sur une enquĂŞte tĂ©lĂ©phonique auprès de 589 travailleurs, dans les quinze hĂ´pitaux retenus, et comprend des questions sur tous les aspects du travail accompli et de la carrière. Nous avons aussi visitĂ© chaque hĂ´pital oĂą nous avons interviewĂ©s des gestionnaires, des surveillants et des reprĂ©sentants syndicaux. En recourant Ă l’analyse multivariĂ©e, nous avons ensuite analysĂ© l’effet de la syndicalisation et des pratiques de travail sur la perception de la dignitĂ© au travail dans les Ă©tablissements. Pour estimer la perception de la dignitĂ© au travail par les travailleurs, nous avons retenu trois variables dĂ©pendantes clĂ©s : la sĂ©curitĂ© d’emploi, la satisfaction intrinsèque au travail et le traitement Ă©quitable de la part de l’employeur. Nos variables indĂ©pendantes incluent une mesure de l’enrichissement du travail, la participation Ă des comitĂ©s de rĂ©solution de problèmes, la formation sur le tas ou d’ordre institutionnel, le champ d’action du syndicat, la perception de la suffisance du personnel et des ressources matĂ©rielles, la charge de travail ainsi que diverses variables de contrĂ´le.Nous avons posĂ© l’hypothèse que le fait de bonifier le travail, soit par un Ă©largissement des tâches, soit par un accroissement du niveau d’habiletĂ©s requises, par l’offre de participation Ă la solution des problèmes au travail, par l’offre d’occasions de formation et le fait de disposer d’une reprĂ©sentation syndicale sur le lieu de travail devraient ĂŞtre liĂ©s de façon positive Ă des niveaux plus Ă©levĂ©s de perception de la dignitĂ© au travail. Nos donnĂ©es nous indiquent qu’à l’exception des effets positifs de la formation, ni la restructuration du travail, ni la reprĂ©sentation syndicale ne prĂ©sentaient des effets dans le sens anticipĂ©. Dans le cas de ces travailleurs du secteur des services, les emplois sont si faiblement rĂ©munĂ©rĂ©s, si exigeants physiquement et si peu gratifiants que le fait de les redessiner n’amĂ©liore pas la situation. Ce qui semble amĂ©liorer la perception de la dignitĂ© au travail est plutĂ´t liĂ© Ă l’accès Ă la formation, au fait de pouvoir compter sur du personnel en nombre suffisant et sur du matĂ©riel adĂ©quat et en quantitĂ© suffisante et aussi de ne pas se faire demander d’accomplir plus que ce qu’on peut faire.Cependant, des modifications dans l’organisation du travail et la reprĂ©sentation syndicale ont Ă©tĂ© associĂ©es avec un niveau plus Ă©levĂ© de rĂ©munĂ©ration, une mesure de dignitĂ© particulièrement importante chez cette catĂ©gorie de travailleurs. Bien que la restructuration du travail, la formation et la reprĂ©sentation syndicale sont sources de hausses salariales, elles ne contribuent pas Ă l’ajout d’une valeur intrinsèque au travail, pas plus qu’à l’impression d’un traitement Ă©quitable de la part des employeurs. Ces deux effets sont plutĂ´t liĂ©s Ă des enjeux inhĂ©rents au procès de travail, tels que la charge de travail, la prĂ©sence d’un personnel suffisant et de ressources matĂ©rielles adĂ©quates. Seule la formation demeure liĂ©e aux trois aspects de la dignitĂ© au travail.Ainsi, les changements dans la nature du travail, comme les travaux sur la promotion de la dignitĂ© au travail en relations industrielles le laissaient entendre, prĂ©sentent peu ou pas de relation avec cette dernière variable chez cette catĂ©gorie de travailleurs Ă faibles revenus et peu qualifiĂ©s. L’enrichissement du travail, de mĂŞme que la participation Ă des comitĂ© de rĂ©solution de problèmes ou la reprĂ©sentation syndicale n’amĂ©liorent pas la perception de dignitĂ© au travail chez ces travailleurs. Cependant, des salaires plus Ă©levĂ©s, du personnel en nombre suffisant et la formation contribuent Ă une meilleure perception de la dignitĂ© au travail. Par consĂ©quent, les politiques axĂ©es sur la formation et les qualifications des travailleurs peu rĂ©munĂ©rĂ©s sont plus susceptibles d’avoir un impact important sur leur emploi et leurs perspectives d’avenir. De plus, les syndicats pourraient davantage aider leurs membres en nĂ©gociant non seulement des salaires plus Ă©levĂ©s, mais aussi du personnel en nombre suffisant et des ressources adĂ©quates pour que les travailleurs et les travailleuses puissent bien accomplir leurs tâches.A partir de una encuesta telefĂłnica con 589 trabajadores hospitalarios de Estados Unidos caracterizados por sus bajos salarios y nivel bajo de calificaciĂłn, los autores investigan las caracterĂsticas del medio laboral que influyen las percepciones de dignidad en el trabajo. Tanto las variables relativas a la organizaciĂłn del trabajo como aquellas de la representaciĂłn sindical son investigadas como factores potenciales que afectan las percepciones de los trabajadores a propĂłsito de lo que es un tratamiento justo de la parte de su empleador, la satisfacciĂłn intrĂnseca en el trabajo y la seguridad econĂłmica. La organizaciĂłn del trabajo y la representaciĂłn sindical tienen poco efecto sobre la dignidad en el trabajo excepto cuando está asociada con los salarios elevados y por tanto, con un nivel mas elevado de seguridad econĂłmica. Los resultados indican que las remuneraciones mas elevadas, los niveles adecuados de personal y de recursos asĂ como el acceso a la formaciĂłn, son las variables que están mas fuertemente asociadas con la dignidad en el trabajo
Hoarding Among Outpatients Seeking Treatment at a Psychiatric Hospital in Singapore
Hoarding symptoms commonly co-occur with other psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder, and have been observed across cultures. Yet, few studies have examined hoarding in other disorders or in an Asian context. The present study aimed to determine: (1) the prevalence of clinically significant hoarding, (2) differences between participants with and without significant hoarding, and (3) predictors of hoarding severity in a Singaporean clinical sample. Five hundred outpatients with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, and pathological gambling completed a battery of questionnaires on hoarding, anxiety, depression, functional impairment due to clutter, and quality of life. Thirty percent of our sample reported significant hoarding. However, clutter levels in the hoarding group were low, and hoarding severity was not significantly linked to quality of life, after adjusting for anxiety and depression. In addition, depression - but not anxiety - predicted hoarding severity. Our results provide a cross-cultural perspective on hoarding symptoms, and replicate findings that support a link between depression and hoarding. The differential presentation of hoarding in our sample could be due to true cultural differences in hoarding pathology or to variant psychometric properties of the measures used. Further research evaluating hoarding in Asian contexts with different methodology is needed
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Galactic Cosmic Radiation Leads to Cognitive Impairment and Increased Aβ Plaque Accumulation in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Galactic Cosmic Radiation consisting of high-energy, high-charged (HZE) particles poses a significant threat to future astronauts in deep space. Aside from cancer, concerns have been raised about late degenerative risks, including effects on the brain. In this study we examined the effects of Fe particle irradiation in an APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We demonstrated 6 months after exposure to 10 and 100 cGy Fe radiation at 1 GeV/µ, that APP/PS1 mice show decreased cognitive abilities measured by contextual fear conditioning and novel object recognition tests. Furthermore, in male mice we saw acceleration of Aβ plaque pathology using Congo red and 6E10 staining, which was further confirmed by ELISA measures of Aβ isoforms. Increases were not due to higher levels of amyloid precursor protein (APP) or increased cleavage as measured by levels of the β C-terminal fragment of APP. Additionally, we saw no change in microglial activation levels judging by CD68 and Iba-1 immunoreactivities in and around Aβ plaques or insulin degrading enzyme, which has been shown to degrade Aβ. However, immunohistochemical analysis of ICAM-1 showed evidence of endothelial activation after 100 cGy irradiation in male mice, suggesting possible alterations in Aβ trafficking through the blood brain barrier as a possible cause of plaque increase. Overall, our results show for the first time that HZE particle radiation can increase Aβ plaque pathology in an APP/PS1 mouse model of AD
Staphylococcus aureus sigma B-dependent emergence of small-colony variants and biofilm production following exposure to Pseudomonas aeruginosa 4-hydroxy-2-heptylquinoline-N-oxide
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>and <it>Pseudomonas aeruginosa </it>are often found together in the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It was previously shown that the <it>P. aeruginosa </it>exoproduct 4-hydroxy-2-heptylquinoline-<it>N-</it>oxide (HQNO) suppresses the growth of <it>S. aureus </it>and provokes the emergence of small-colony variants (SCVs). The presence of <it>S. aureus </it>SCVs as well as biofilms have both been associated with chronic infections in CF.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrated that HQNO stimulates <it>S. aureus </it>to form a biofilm in association with the formation of SCVs. The emergence of SCVs and biofilm production under HQNO exposure was shown to be dependent on the activity of the stress- and colonization-related alternative sigma factor B (SigB). Analysis of gene expression revealed that exposure of a prototypical <it>S. aureus </it>strain to HQNO activates SigB, which was leading to an increase in the expression of the fibronectin-binding protein A and the biofilm-associated <it>sarA </it>genes. Conversely, the quorum sensing accessory gene regulator (<it>agr</it>) system and the α-hemolysin gene were repressed by HQNO. Experiments using culture supernatants from <it>P. aeruginosa </it>PAO1 and a double chamber co-culture model confirmed that <it>P. aeruginosa </it>stimulates biofilm formation and activates SigB in a <it>S. aureus </it>strain isolated from a CF patient. Furthermore, the supernatant from <it>P. aeruginosa </it>mutants unable to produce HQNO induced the production of biofilms by <it>S. aureus </it>to a lesser extent than the wild-type strain only in a <it>S. aureus </it>SigB-functional background.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that <it>S. aureus </it>responds to HQNO from <it>P. aeruginosa </it>by forming SCVs and biofilms through SigB activation, a phenomenon that may contribute to the establishment of chronic infections in CF patients.</p
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Metabolomics identifies placental dysfunction and confirms Flt-1 (FMS-like tyrosine kinase receptor 1) biomarker specificity
Clinical end-stage parameters define the pregnancy disorders preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction while classification of the underlying placental dysfunction is missing and urgently needed. Flt-1 (FMS-like tyrosine kinase receptor 1) is the most promising placenta-derived predictive biomarker for preeclampsia. We aimed to classify placental dysfunction in preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction at delivery by metabolic profiling and authenticate the biomarker Flt-1 for placental dysfunction. We studied 143 pregnancies with or without preeclampsia and/or fetal growth restriction delivered by cesarean section. Metabolic placenta profiles were created by high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the resulting placental phenotypes obtained by hierarchical clustering. Placental Flt-1 expression (membrane-bound and soluble isoforms combined) and maternal serum Flt-1 expression (soluble isoforms) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and ELISA, respectively. We identified 3 distinct placenta groups by 21 metabolites and diagnostic outcome parameters; normal placentas, moderate placental dysfunction, and severe placental dysfunction. Increased placental Flt-1 was associated with severe placental dysfunction, and increased serum Flt-1 was associated with moderate and severe placental dysfunction. The preeclamptic pregnancies with and without placental dysfunction could be distinguished by 5 metabolites and placental Flt-1. Placental Flt-1 alone could separate normal pregnancies with and without placental dysfunction. In conclusion, metabolomics could classify placental dysfunction and provide information not identified by traditional diagnostics and metabolites with biomarker potential were identified. Flt-1 was confirmed as precision biomarker for placental dysfunction, substantiating its usefulness for identification of high-risk pregnancies for preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction with placental involvement.acceptedVersio
Metabolic profiles of placenta in preeclampsia using HR-MAS MRS metabolomics
Introduction Preeclampsia is a heterogeneous gestational disease characterized by maternal hypertension and proteinuria, affecting 2–7% of pregnancies. The disorder is initiated by insufficient placental development, but studies characterizing the placental disease components are lacking. Methods Our aim was to phenotype the preeclamptic placenta using high-resolution magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HR-MAS MRS). Placental samples collected after delivery from women with preeclampsia (n = 19) and normotensive pregnancies (n = 15) were analyzed for metabolic biomarkers including amino acids, osmolytes, and components of the energy and phospholipid metabolism. The metabolic biomarkers were correlated to clinical characteristics and inflammatory biomarkers in the maternal sera. Results Principal component analysis showed inherent differences in placental metabolic profiles between preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancies. Significant differences in metabolic profiles were found between placentas from severe and non-severe preeclampsia, but not between preeclamptic pregnancies with fetal growth restricted versus normal weight neonates. The placental metabolites correlated with the placental stress marker sFlt-1 and triglycerides in maternal serum, suggesting variation in placental stress signaling between different placental phenotypes. Discussion HR-MAS MRS is a sensitive method for defining the placental disease component of preeclampsia, identifying several altered metabolic pathways. Placental HR-MAS MRS analysis may improve insight into processes affected in the preeclamptic placenta, and represents a novel long-required tool for a sensitive placental phenotyping of this heterogeneous disease.acceptedVersio
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