Perceived financial literacy, choice of investment and retirement planning amongst women

The demographic trends indicating an ageing population, as well as social changes like the shift from extended to nuclear families, give rise to the need for financial preparedness for retirement planning, especially amongst vulnerable groups and women. One of the important determinants of financial preparedness is financial literacy which is the financial knowledge possessed and the ability to effectively process economic information. Financial literacy enables informed decision making and appropriate related actions in preparing for a retired life (Njuguna & Otsola, 2011). In practice, Financial literacy may be classified into two distinct components: perceived financial literacy (PFL); and actual financial literacy (AFL). PFL is the person’s subjective perception of his/her level of financial literacy. It also termed as financial confidence since it reflects a person’s self-beliefs about her/his own level of financial literacy. AFL, on the other hand, is a more objective determination of financial literacy, being formally assessed on a set of valid evaluation questions. Though there have been several studies on Financial Literacy, there is a dearth of studies that examine the perspective of women, who are particularly vulnerable when it comes to financial preparedness at the time of retirement. The present study therefore examines the influence of PFL and AFL on financial preparedness for retirement with specific reference to women. The study adopts a descriptive methodology and modelling to assess the extent to which AFL, PFL and demographics affect financial preparedness among women. The findings of a baseline study among women residing in the United Arab Emirates are presented and several implications are discussed to support the financial preparedness of the women. Key words: Perceived financial literacy, Actual financial literacy, Financial preparednes

Women and work in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: An exploratory study of women's experience in IT Jobs

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is leading the discontinuous change in every sphere of our lives, from the Internet of everything to the Internet of all, and from Artificial Intelligence and Robotics to Human Augmentation. As nations experience shifting sources of competitiveness and a “hollowing out” effect, existing competencies get destroyed and the need for new competencies arises. On one hand, there is an increasing requirement for a workforce with high technical skills and on the other hand there is a shortage of human capital that can meet this need (Choi 2017). Information Technology (IT) is one of the key sectors experiencing this phenomenon. The high gender gap - a constant 72 percent which is estimated to continue in the future – further compounds the problem. IT is seen as a male dominated occupation, as indicated, for example, by the 78 percent:22 percent male-to-female ratio of Artificial Intelligence professionals globally (World Economic Forum 2018). Even amongst the women who do work in the IT profession, studies report a “leaky pipeline” with women moving away from their IT jobs during their career (Vitores & Gil-Juárez 2016). There is an urgent need for understanding the phenomenon of gender representation in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To this end, the present study explores the experiences of women working in IT departments and organizations in Dubai, their motivations, challenges, coping strategies and organizational support systems. These women have been chosen for the study to compare the experiences of IT versus non-IT women professionals working in the IT field. Neo-classical and human capital theories highlight women’s lower levels of education and workplace experience due to childcare responsibilities. Feminist theories argue that the underlying reason lies in the patriarchal attitudes and structures that perpetuate male domination in society, which extend to the workplace. Gender studies predominantly report challenges and negative experiences that include prejudice, hostility, inequality, stereotyping etc., all of which originate from social conditioning. A gender-neutral axiological stance has been adopted for this study which broadens the understanding of womens’ experiences - both positive and negative - the sources of the challenges as well as the support from the opposite gender as well as same-gender peers, superiors and subordinates; and the elements of social conditioning that aided and those that exacerbated their experiences. The study was undertaken from a yin-and-yang positionality rather than using a gender hierarchy and hence treats both genders as complementing each other. The objective is to help address the service management imperatives of developing an enabling work culture, harnessing the potential of employees and developing a sustainable pipeline of competent professionals, which essentially involves addressing the challenges faced by women and mitigating barriers to their empowered contribution. The approach adopted was a relativist ontological approach that aimed to understand the reality as perceived by women working in IT departments/companies based on their social interactions and experiences. To address the challenges, effective service management strategies must be based on an understanding of women’s subjective reality, a qualitative study marked the first phase of the study. Keywords: Gender gap in services, IT industry, IR4, Experiences, support strategies, coping mechanisms, gender-neutral approac

Classification methodology of CVD with localized feature analysis using Phase Space Reconstruction targeting personalized remote health monitoring

2016 Computing in Cardiology Conference (CinC), 11-14 September 2016, Vancouver, BC, CanadaThis is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordThis paper introduces the classification methodology of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) with localized feature analysis using Phase Space Reconstruction (PSR) technique targeting personalized health care. The proposed classification methodology uses a few localized features (QRS interval and PR interval) of individual Electrocardiogram (ECG) beats from the Feature Extraction (FE) block and detects the desynchronization in the given intervals after applying the PSR technique. Considering the QRS interval, if any notch is present in the QRS complex, then the corresponding contour will appear and the variation in the box count indicating a notch in the QRS complex. Likewise, the contour and the disparity of box count due to the variation in the PR interval localized wave have been noticed using the proposed PSR technique. ECG database from the Physionet (MIT-BIH and PTBDB) has been used to verify the proposed analysis on localized features using proposed PSR and has enabled us to classify the various abnormalities like fragmented QRS complexes, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation. The design have been successfully tested for diagnosing various disorders with 98% accuracy on all the specified abnormal databases.This work is partly supported by the Department of Electronics and Information and Technology (DeitY), India under the “Internet of Things (IoT) for Smarter Healthcare” under Grant No: 13(7)/2012-CC&BT, dated 25 Feb 2013. Naresh V is funded by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) PhD studentship through IIT Hyderabad

Mutations in phosphodiesterase 6 identified in familial cases of retinitis pigmentosa.

To delineate the genetic determinants associated with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a hereditary retinal disorder, we recruited four large families manifesting cardinal symptoms of RP. We localized these families to regions on the human genome harboring the α and β subunits of phosphodiesterase 6 and identified mutations that were absent in control chromosomes. Our data suggest that mutations in PDE6A and PDE6B are responsible for the retinal phenotype in these families

Pathogenic mutations in TULP1 responsible for retinitis pigmentosa identified in consanguineous familial cases.

PurposeTo identify pathogenic mutations responsible for autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) in consanguineous familial cases.MethodsSeven large familial cases with multiple individuals diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa were included in the study. Affected individuals in these families underwent ophthalmic examinations to document the symptoms and confirm the initial diagnosis. Blood samples were collected from all participating members, and genomic DNA was extracted. An exclusion analysis with microsatellite markers spanning the TULP1 locus on chromosome 6p was performed, and two-point logarithm of odds (LOD) scores were calculated. All coding exons along with the exon-intron boundaries of TULP1 were sequenced bidirectionally. We constructed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotype for the four familial cases harboring the K489R allele and estimated the likelihood of a founder effect.ResultsThe ophthalmic examinations of the affected individuals in these familial cases were suggestive of RP. Exclusion analyses confirmed linkage to chromosome 6p harboring TULP1 with positive two-point LOD scores. Subsequent Sanger sequencing identified the single base pair substitution in exon14, c.1466A>G (p.K489R), in four families. Additionally, we identified a two-base deletion in exon 4, c.286_287delGA (p.E96Gfs77*); a homozygous splice site variant in intron 14, c.1495+4A>C; and a novel missense variation in exon 15, c.1561C>T (p.P521S). All mutations segregated with the disease phenotype in the respective families and were absent in ethnically matched control chromosomes. Haplotype analysis suggested (p<10(-6)) that affected individuals inherited the causal mutation from a common ancestor.ConclusionsPathogenic mutations in TULP1 are responsible for the RP phenotype in seven familial cases with a common ancestral mutation responsible for the disease phenotype in four of the seven families

Loss of function mutations in RP1 are responsible for retinitis pigmentosa in consanguineous familial cases.

PurposeThis study was undertaken to identify causal mutations responsible for autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) in consanguineous families.MethodsLarge consanguineous families were ascertained from the Punjab province of Pakistan. An ophthalmic examination consisting of a fundus evaluation and electroretinography (ERG) was completed, and small aliquots of blood were collected from all participating individuals. Genomic DNA was extracted from white blood cells, and a genome-wide linkage or a locus-specific exclusion analysis was completed with polymorphic short tandem repeats (STRs). Two-point logarithm of odds (LOD) scores were calculated, and all coding exons and exon-intron boundaries of RP1 were sequenced to identify the causal mutation.ResultsThe ophthalmic examination showed that affected individuals in all families manifest cardinal symptoms of RP. Genome-wide scans localized the disease phenotype to chromosome 8q, a region harboring RP1, a gene previously implicated in the pathogenesis of RP. Sanger sequencing identified a homozygous single base deletion in exon 4: c.3697delT (p.S1233Pfs22*), a single base substitution in intron 3: c.787+1G>A (p.I263Nfs8*), a 2 bp duplication in exon 2: c.551_552dupTA (p.Q185Yfs4*) and an 11,117 bp deletion that removes all three coding exons of RP1. These variations segregated with the disease phenotype within the respective families and were not present in ethnically matched control samples.ConclusionsThese results strongly suggest that these mutations in RP1 are responsible for the retinal phenotype in affected individuals of all four consanguineous families

Glucometric Guardianship

It is a well-known fact that the knowledge of their current glucose readings empowered people with diabetes to evaluate and monitor the trends in glucose fluctuations and take informed decisions on adjusting their medicines, food intake, and physical activity. Glucose monitoring technology has undergone a technological evolution and has improved diabetes care in patients living with type 2 diabetes. This has also made the need to efficiently and effectively utilize blood glucose monitoring tools. Given the above, the article has reviewed the significance of glucometric guardianship. Glucometric checklists offer a standardized approach to glucometric guardianship which is necessary to improve the process of drug choice and dose titration. The stepwise factors included in the glucometric guardianship checklist include procurement, distribution, pre-testing hygiene, testing, recording, action, disposal, quality control, and procedure safety