Health Literacy and Refugee Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Outlooks for ESL Classes

During the COVID-19 pandemic, refugee women in the United States faced significant challenges to sustain their livelihoods, such as losing jobs and health care, becoming essential workers, and finding oneself again in unprecedented situations of limited mobility. These impacts reflect dynamics in migrant health literacy including language proficiency (skills-based approaches) as well as experiences, identities, and power relations in society (socio-cultural approaches). In this article, I explore these dynamics through a gender perspective with a focus on intra-familial health brokering, empowerment-based health education, and health information mapping by drawing on ethnographic research from Portland, Oregon. This includes interviews with 15 refugee women and representatives of organizations working in the context of migration as well as observations of service-providing community efforts. My interviews and observations demonstrate that disruptions in language learning, socio-cultural barriers, and limited access to health-related information resources have posed significant challenges to refugee women’s livelihoods during the pandemic. I suggest that English as a Second Language (ESL) classes can be imperative in addressing these challenges as the classes provide a space for language learning, intercultural dialogue, and information sharing in gender-responsive ways.Pendant la pandémie de COVID-19, les femmes réfugiées aux États-Unis ont été confrontées à des défis importants pour maintenir leurs moyens de subsistance, comme la perte d'emplois et de soins de santé, le fait de devenir des travailleurs essentiels et de se retrouver à nouveau dans des situations inédites de mobilité limitée. Ces impacts sont le reflet de dynamiques au niveau de la littératie en matière de santé des migrants telles que la maîtrise de la langue (approches basées sur les compétences) ainsi que les expériences, les identités et les relations de pouvoir dans la société (approches socio-culturelles). Dans cet article, j’explore ces dynamiques à travers une perspective de genre mettant l’accent sur le courtage de santé intra-familial, l’éducation à la santé basée sur l’autonomisation et la cartographie des informations sur la santé en m’appuyant sur une étude ethnographique de Portland, Oregon. Cette étude comprend des entretiens avec 15 femmes réfugiées et représentants d’organisations œuvrant dans le contexte de la migration ainsi que des observations d’efforts communautaires de prestation de services. Mes entretiens et observations démontrent que les interruptions dans l’apprentissage de la langue, les barrières socio-culturelles et l’accès limité aux ressources d'informations liées à la santé ont posé des défis importants au maintien des moyens de subsistance des femmes réfugiées pendant la pandémie. Je suggère que les cours d’anglais langue seconde sont impératifs pour faire face à ces défis puisque ces cours fournissent un espace pour l’apprentissage de la langue, le dialogue interculturel et le partage d’informations de manière sensible au genre

Description of Range Lands of Iran Range Problems in Iran Vegetation of Nevada

Taming and husbandry of animals is undoubtedly the oldest industry in Iran. The productive range lands are one of the most important natural resources of the country

Supply chain coordination under asymmetric information and partial vertical integration

publishedVersio

Light and electron microscope studies of host-parasite relations in a mycoparasite

Light microscope studies of the mycoparasite Piptocephalis virginiana revealed that the cylindrical spores of the parasite became spherical upon germination and produced 1-4 germ tubes. Generally t"l.vO germ tubes were produced by each spore. When this parasite was inoculated on its potential hosts, Choanephora cucurbitarum and Phascolomyces articulosus, the germ tube nearest to the host hypha continued to grow and made contact with the host hypha. The tip of the parasite's germ tube became swollen to form a distinct appressorium. Up to this stage the behavior of the parasite was similar regardless of the nature of the host. In the compatible host-parasite combination, the parasite penetrated the host, established a nutritional relationship and continued to grow to cover the host completely with its buff colored spores in 3-4 days. In the incompatible host-parasite combination, the parasite penetrated the host but its further advance was arrested. As a result of failure to establish a nutritional relationship with the resistant host, the parasite made further attempts to penetrate the host at different sites producing multiple infections. In the absence of nutrition the parasite weakened and the host outgrew the parasite completely. In the presence of a non-host species, Linderina pennispora the parasite continued to grow across the non-host 1).yp_hae vlithout establishing an initial contact. Germination studies showed that the parasite germinated equally well in the presence of host and non-host species. Further electron microscope studies revealed that the host-parasite interaction between P. virginiana and its host, C. cucurbi tarum, was compatible when the host hyphae were young slender, with a thin cell wall of one layer. The parasite appeared to penetrate mechanically by pushing the host-cell wall inward. The host plasma membrane invaginated along the involuted cell wall. The older hyphae of C. cucurbitarum possessed two distinct layers of cell wall and-showed an incompatible interaction when challenged vlith the parasite. At the point of contact, the outer layer of the host-cell wall dissolved, probably by enzymatic digestion, and the inner layer became thickened and developed a papilla as a result of its response to the parasite. The haustoria of the parasite in the old hyphae were always surrounded by a thick, well developed sheath, whereas the haustoria of the same age in the young host mycelium were devoid of a sheath during early stages of infection. Instead, they were in direct contact with the host protoplast. The incompatible interaction between a resistant host, P. articulosus and the parasite showed similar results as with the old hyphae of C. cucurbitarum. The cell wall of P. articulosus appeared thick-with two or more layers even in the 18-22 h-old hyphae. No contact or interaction was established between the parasite and the non-host L. pennispora. The role of cell wall in the resistance mechanism is discussed

Strategic assets as determinants of equity share contributions in joint ventures: a collateral-based theory of financial contracts

Prior research over several decades has catalogued many factors underlying firm‟s equity participation in joint ventures. This analysis empirically investigates whether agency problems associated with monitoring specialized activities influence the negotiated distribution of equity between collaborating partners at the inception of an equity joint venture (EJV). The proposed framework modifies a financial contracting perspective based upon agency theory and draws on existing theories of EJVs; namely, transaction cost economics, bargaining power and resource-based theory. The central contention is that a primary determinant of the division of equity capital is the requirement for each contracting partner to guarantee its subsequent value-enhancing productive activities that jointly determine the future success of the EJV. Specifically, it is argued that the inherent characteristics of the expertise and/or nature of the strategic assets that a firm contributes to an inter-firm EJV may make it difficult for that firm to guarantee (ex ante) its productive contribution during the negotiation stage. Results from a sample of 194 UK-based EJVs support the view that owners of strategic assets whose potential contribution to the success of the EJV are the most difficult to measure ex ante will negotiate a higher share of equity capital, thereby, partially, guaranteeing their actions

The Effect of Language Use on the Financial Performance of Microfinance Banks: Evidence From Cross-Border Activities in 74 Countries

This multi-year study examines the relationship between financial performance and language use, observing 405 partnerships between microfinance banks and their international financial partners in 74 countries. Drawing on language research in international business, we find that microfinance banks based in English-speaking, French-speaking, and Spanish-speaking countries have higher performance. Furthermore, the linguistic distance between the home country of a microfinance bank and the home country of its international partner(s) is negatively related to its financial performance. Our large-scale study confirms the effect of language use on organization-level financial performance and extends research on language in multinationals from intra-firm to inter-firm relationships

Micronutrient intake and status in Central and Eastern Europe compared with other European countries, results from the EURRECA network

Objective: To compare micronutrient intakes and status in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with those in other European countries and with reference values. Design: Review of the micronutrient intake/status data from open access and grey literature sources from CEE. Setting: Micronutrients studied were folate, iodine, Fe, vitamin B-12 and Zn (for intake and status) and Ca, Cu, Se, vitamin C and vitamin D (for intake). Intake data were based on validated dietary assessment methods; mean intakes were compared with average nutrient requirements set by the Nordic countries or the US Institute of Medicine. Nutritional status was assessed using the status biomarkers and cut-off levels recommended primarily by the WHO. Subjects: For all population groups in CEE, the mean intake and mean/median status levels were compared between countries and regions: CEE, Scandinavia, Western Europe and Mediterranean. Results: Mean micronutrient intakes of adults in the CEE region were in the same range as those from other European regions, with exception of Ca (lower in CEE). CEE children and adolescents had poorer iodine status, and intakes of Ca, folate and vitamin D were below the reference values. Conclusions: CEE countries are lacking comparable studies on micronutrient intake/status across all age ranges, especially in children. Available evidence showed no differences in micronutrient intake/status in CEE populations in comparison with other European regions, except for Ca intake in adults and iodine and Fe status in children. The identified knowledge gaps urge further research on micronutrient intake/status of CEE populations to make a basis for evidence-based nutrition policy

Pain Control in Breast Surgery: Survey of Current Practice and Recommendations for Optimizing Management—American Society of Breast Surgeons Opioid/Pain Control Workgroup

Introduction: The opioid epidemic in the United States is a public health crisis. Breast surgeons are obligated to provide good pain control for their patients after surgery but also must minimize administration of narcotics to prevent a surgical episode of care from becoming a patient's gateway into opioid dependence. Methods: A survey to ascertain pain management practice patterns after breast surgery was performed. A review of currently available literature that was specific to breast surgery was performed to create recommendations regarding pain management strategies. Results: A total of 609 surgeons completed the survey and demonstrated significant variations in pain management practices, specifically within regards to utilization of regional anesthesia (e.g., nerve blocks), and quantity of prescribed narcotics. There is excellent data to guide the use of local and regional anesthesia. There are, however, fewer studies to guide narcotic recommendations; thus, these recommendations were guided by prevailing practice patterns. Conclusions: Pain management practices after breast surgery have significant variation and represent an opportunity to improve patient safety and quality of care. Multimodality approaches in conjunction with standardized quantities of narcotics are recommended

A collateral based theory of international joint ventures: A n empirical investigation

The traditional reasons advanced for the determination of equity contribution by JV partners include: the JVs contractual duration, cultural distance, competitive intensity local partner state ownership, country risk, and local partner alignment (Pan 1996). This thesis examines the determinations of the contractual equity contribution between a partners' equity contribution, the nature of their strategic assets, and their place in the value chain in in joint ventures (JVs), in particular international joint ventures.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Induction of linear light upconversion in mononuclear erbium coordination complexes

Malgré la prédiction de 2002, affirmant que la conversion de lumière vers le haut utilisant l’optique linéaire était irréalisable pour des composés moléculaires mononucléaires possédant des vibrations de haute énergie, ce travail de thèse a donc pour but d’évaluer définitivement la pertinence de cette prédiction. Pour ce faire, une série de complexes mononucléaires en triple hélice [Er(Lk)3]3+ ont été synthétisés. Dans tous les cas, ces complexes présentent la rare caractéristique, pour des composés moléculaires de l’erbium, d’émettre simultanément de la lumière dans le visible (542 nm) et dans l’infra-rouge (1530 nm) lorsqu’ils sont soumis à une excitation ultraviolette. Soumis à une excitation laser continue dans le proche infrarouge à 801 nm, les complexes [Er(Lk)3]3+ absorbent successivement deux photons pour atteindre le niveau excité Er(4S3/2), qui, finalement, produit l’émission visible dans le vert à 542 nm. En conclusion, les complexes [Er(Lk)3]3+ sont les premiers, et à la date de la rédaction de ce résumé, les seuls compatibles avec un mécanisme d’absorption dans l’état excité (ESA = Excited State Absorption) conduisant à une émission de lumière convertie vers le haut au niveau moléculaire