Calling and Crafting in Cahoots

This project aims to examine the relationship between work as a calling, job crafting, and person-job fit. Work as a calling is the internal force that drives individuals toward a specific career, whereas job crafting is the active adjustments one makes to improve aspects of his or her work. Person-job fit is the perception that employees have concerning a match between oneself and the chosen career path. Despite the numerous beneficial outcomes that have been empirically supported over time, only job crafting has been investigated as a direct predictor of this fit. Even then, there seems to be little research dedicated to this matter. Additionally, there still remains questions concerning how work as a calling fits into this model. It is unknown whether perceiving a calling increases person-job fit independently or through the mediation of job crafting. In order to improve perceptions of person-job fit, understanding the antecedents should be just as crucial as studying what follows, if not more so. To further the knowledge of these relationships, this project will gather data from working professionals who will be recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The participants will complete a short survey involving work as a calling, job crafting, and person-job fit scales. They will be asked to respond through the use of a survey format administered online. The data will be analyzed by conducting a series of multiple regressions. The results of this study will further the research findings related to this topic, as well as support future attempts aimed at understanding ways in which person-job fit can be increased

The euro and prices: changeover-related inflation and price convergence in the euro area

The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of the 'euro cash changeover' on consumer prices in the euro area. The report begins by describing price developments at the time of the introduction of euro notes and coins. The study also investigates the impact of price developments at the euro changeover on different households by socio-economic group. The third part of the report focuses on inflation perceptions and a fourth section explores the cross-border convergence of prices since the euro changeover. The following findings can be highlighted: (1) it appears that aggregate inflation rates were largely unaffected by the introduction of the euro; (2) overall, differences in inflation rates across different types of households are small; (3) inflation perceptions are mainly driven by lagged perceptions, inflation expectations and actual inflation while different individual inflation experiences also help to explain the 'jumps' in perception data; (4) price differentials have generally declined over time across European countries though there is no sizeable euro introduction convergence effect.The Euro and Prices: Changeover-related Inflation and Price Convergence in the Euro Area, euro changeover, inflation, perceptions, convergence, household-specific inflation, Sturm, Fritsche, Graff, Lamla, Lein, Nitsch, Liechti, Triet

Investigation of the Barriers and Facilitators to Making Healthy Choices at Work

This project aims to examine how workplace barriers and facilitators can affect an employee’s healthy choices. Barriers are factors that prevent the employee from making a healthy choice, whereas facilitators are factors that encourage the employee to make a healthy choice. It is imperative to understand how these barriers and facilitators affect the employee’s ability to make healthy choices in order to understand the importance of their presence within the workplace. The results of this study will further support previous research findings related to this topic, as well as support future attempts aimed to improve the overall well-being of employees in the workplace

Underascertainment of radiotherapy receipt in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry data

BACKGROUND: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data have been used to suggest underuse and disparities in receipt of radiotherapy. Prior studies have cautioned that SEER may underascertain radiotherapy but lacked adequate representation to assess whether underascertainment varies by geography or patient sociodemographic characteristics. The authors sought to determine rates and correlates of underascertainment of radiotherapy in recent SEER data. METHODS: The authors evaluated data from 2290 survey respondents with nonmetastatic breast cancer, aged 20 to 79 years, diagnosed from June of 2005 to February 2007 in Detroit and Los Angeles and reported to SEER registries (73% response rate). Survey responses regarding treatment and sociodemographic factors were merged with SEER data. The authors compared radiotherapy receipt as reported by patients versus SEER records. The authors then assessed correlates of radiotherapy underascertainment in SEER. RESULTS: Of 1292 patients who reported receiving radiotherapy, 273 were coded as not receiving radiotherapy in SEER (underascertained). Underascertainment was more common in Los Angeles than in Detroit (32.0% vs 11.25%, P < .001). On multivariate analysis, radiotherapy underascertainment was significantly associated in each registry (Los Angeles, Detroit) with stage ( P = .008, P = .026), income ( P < .001, P = .050), mastectomy receipt ( P < .001, P < .001), chemotherapy receipt ( P < .001, P = .045), and diagnosis at a hospital that was not accredited by the American College of Surgeons ( P < .001, P < .001). In Los Angeles, additional significant variables included younger age ( P < .001), nonprivate insurance ( P < .001), and delayed receipt of radiotherapy ( P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: SEER registry data as currently collected may not be an appropriate source for documentation of rates of radiotherapy receipt or investigation of geographic variation in the radiation treatment of breast cancer. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society. This study found that the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program, among the largest Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries, coded that radiation was not received in nearly a third of cases in which breast cancer patients themselves reported radiation receipt, whereas ascertainment of radiation receipt was much more complete in another large SEER registry, that of the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System. SEER registry data as currently collected may not be an appropriate source for documentation of rates of radiotherapy receipt or geographic disparities.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90319/1/26295_ftp.pd

A Study of Bus Stop Accessibility: Public Health Students Working in Partnership with the Center for Independent Living

Over 54 million U.S. citizens report living with at least one disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act stipulates legislation that prohibits the discrimination of persons on the basis of disability. Rather than riding the bus in areas that offer a fixed-route bus system, individuals with disabilities often rely on expensive and limited paratransit services, or on family and friends. It has been proposed that with improvements in bus accessibility, riders with disabilities could use the fixed-route system more often and increase their options for independence and community participation. During their 2008 spring semester, participants in the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions’ course, Assessment and Surveillance, partnered with the Center for Independent Living (CIL) of North Central Florida to conduct an accessibility study of the Gainesville, Florida fixed-route bus system. Students focused on factors that make bus stops user-friendly for persons with disabilities. This paper presents the rationale, methods, and findings from this accessibility study and efforts undertaken to forge a mutually beneficial partnership among UF-PHHP students and the CIL

RNA polymerase II promotes the organization of chromatin following DNA replication

Understanding how chromatin organisation is duplicated on the two daughter strands is a central question in epigenetics. In mammals, following the passage of the replisome, nucleosomes lose their defined positioning and transcription contributes to their re-organisation. However, whether transcription plays a greater role in the organization of chromatin following DNA replication remains unclear. Here we analysed protein re-association with newly replicated DNA upon inhibition of transcription using iPOND coupled to quantitative mass spectrometry. We show that nucleosome assembly and the re-establishment of most histone modifications are uncoupled from transcription. However, RNAPII acts to promote the re-association of hundreds of proteins with newly replicated chromatin via pathways that are not observed in steady-state chromatin. These include ATP-dependent remodellers, transcription factors and histone methyltransferases. We also identify a set of DNA repair factors that may handle transcription-replication conflicts during normal transcription in human non-transformed cells. Our study reveals that transcription plays a greater role in the organization of chromatin post-replication than previously anticipated.</p

Sex Differences in Left Ventricular Electrical Dyssynchrony and Outcomes with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

BACKGROUND: Women seem to derive more benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) than men, even after accounting for the higher burden of risk factors for nonresponse often observed in men. OBJECTIVE: To assess for sex-specific differences in left ventricular (LV) electrical dyssynchrony as a contributing electrophysiological explanation for the greater degree of CRT benefit among women. METHODS: We compared the extent of baseline LV electrical dyssynchrony, as measured by the QRS area (QRSA), among men and women with left bundle branch block (LBBB) undergoing CRT at Duke University (n = 492, 35% women) overall and in relation to baseline QRS characteristics using independent sample t tests and Pearson correlation coefficients. Cox regression analyses were used to relate sex, QRSA, and QRS characteristics to the risk of cardiac transplantation, LV assist device implant, or death. RESULTS: Although the mean QRS duration (QRSd) did not differ by sex, QRSA was greater for women vs men (113.8 μVs vs 98.2 μVs, P < .001), owing to differences in the QRSd <150 ms subgroup (92.3 ± 28.7 μVs vs 67.6 ± 26.2 μVs, P < .001). Among those with nonstrict LBBB, mean QRSd was similar but QRSA was significantly greater among women than men (96.0 ± 25.0 μVs vs 63.6 ± 26.2 μVs, P < .001). QRSA was similar among men and women with strict LBBB (P = .533). Female sex was associated with better long-term outcomes in an unadjusted model (hazard ratio 0.623, confidence interval 0.454–0.857, P = .004) but sex no longer predicted outcomes after accounting for differences in QRSA. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that sex-specific differences in LV dyssynchrony contribute to greater CRT benefit among women. Standard QRSd and morphology assessments seem to underestimate the extent of LV electrical dyssynchrony among women with LBBB