266 research outputs found

    State policies and Pakistani migrant organisations in Toronto and NYC

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    This paper examines how different 'contexts of reception’ in Toronto and NYC shape the size, programmatic domain (social, cultural, economic, political), and geographic scope of action (local vs. transnational) of non-profit organisations serving the Pakistani immigrant community. Existing literature tends to employ a one-sided focus on the role of state-policies in determining the prevalence of immigrant organisations. This literature is also divided into two epistemic camps, one focusing on organisations promoting settlement/incorporation and others on transnational organisations. This study addresses these limitations by examining how state-policies, socioeconomic incorporation, community characteristics and societal attitudes combine to shape the composition of an immigrant group’s collective organisational space – comprised of incorporation and transnationally-oriented organisations. Data come from a new original database of the universe of Pakistani non-profit organisations based in Toronto and New York and from qualitative data gathered in both cities. Contrary to our expectations and previous research, we find that state-sponsored multiculturalism is not associated with a larger or more transnational Pakistani organisational space in Toronto. Rather, the size, programmatic domain and geographic scope of Pakistani organisational spaces are determined by the intersection of state-policies and the immigrant community’s socioeconomic incorporation ¬– where the more affluent New Yorker Pakistani community is associated with a larger and more transnational organisational space. Findings also reveal tensions between locally- and transnationally-oriented organisations in both cities, reflecting growing fragmentation between affluent cosmopolitan, immigrant elites and the impoverished segments of the Toronto and NYC Pakistani communities

    Elevated atmospheric CO2 modifies responses to water-stress and flowering of Mediterranean desert truffle mycorrhizal shrubs

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    Predicted increases in atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) coupled with increased temperatures and drought are expected to strongly influence the development of most of the plant species in the world, especially in areas with high risk of desertification like the Mediterranean basin. Helianthemum almeriense is an ecologically important Mediterranean shrub with an added interest because it serves as the host for the Terfezia claveryi mycorrhizal fungus, which is a desert truffle with increasingly commercial interest. Although both plant and fungi are known to be well adapted to dry conditions, it is still uncertain how the increase in atmospheric CO2 will influence them. In this article we have addressed the physiological responses of H. almeriense × T. claveryi mycorrhizal plants to increases in atmospheric CO2 coupled with drought and high vapor pressure deficit. This work reports one of the few estimations of mesophyll conductance in a drought deciduous Mediterranean shrub and evaluates its role in photosynthesis limitation. High atmospheric CO2 concentrations help desert truffle mycorrhizal plants to cope with the adverse effects of progressive drought during Mediterranean springs by improving carbon net assimilation, intrinsic water use efficiency and dispersal of the species through increased flowering events

    Socioeconomic position and subjective oral health: findings for the adult population in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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    The objective of this study was to assess socioeconomic inequalities in subjective measures of oral health in a national sample of adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

    A AGROINDÚSTRIA: UMA VISÃO DESDE A AUDITORIA AMBIENTAL

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    Environmental Audit concept (AA) measures and evaluates the consequences and impacts of the development of a business, whether agricultural, industrial or service on the environment, just identified manner provides and interprets the effects on natural resources causes the development of this activity. Due Agribusiness uses resources provided by agriculture, forestry and fisheries, transforming them by using industrial methods, based on technological processes, which often come to negatively impact the surrounding environment, this is where an environmental audit is necessary, in order to measure and assess whether the organization has an appropriate environmental management system that complies with the regulations on the environment; in order to find and implement appropriate corrective controls, to mitigate and avoid incurring environmental liabilities. The objective was to create an information system for environmental auditing model applied to agribusiness. The type of research is documentary in that collects, analyzes and appropriates information on accounting standards, auditing, and ethics that relates to the work of an environmental auditor; for which, the research team created a tool that allows you to systematize each of the phases that an environmental audit must cover, this tool also stores and processes the information obtained and issues reports on findings of non-compliance with the standard.El concepto de auditoría ambiental (aa) sirve para medir y evaluar las consecuencias e impactos que tiene el desarrollo de una actividad empresarial, bien sea agrícola, industrial o de servicios, sobre el entorno; de la misma manera,identifica, prevé e interpreta los efectos que origina sobre los recursos naturales el desarrollo de dicha actividad.Debido a que la agroindustria hace uso de recursos entregados por la agricultura, la actividad forestal y la pesca,transformándolos mediante el uso de métodos industriales, con base en procesos tecnológicos, que en muchas ocasiones llegan a impactar de manera negativa el entorno medioambiental, una aa se hace necesaria para medir y evaluar si las organizaciones cuentan con un adecuado sistema de gestión ambiental, de tal manera que cumpla con la normatividad sobre el medio ambiente; con el fin de buscar e implantar controles y correctivos adecuados, que mitiguen y eviten incurrir en pasivos ambientales.El objetivo general fue crear un sistema de información para el modelo de aa aplicado a la agroindustria, y el tipo de investigación es documental por cuanto recopila, analiza y apropia información sobre la normatividad contable, deauditoría y de ética, que se relaciona con el quehacer de un auditor ambiental; para esto, el Grupo creó una herramienta que le permite sistematizar cada una de las fases que debe abarcar una auditoría de este tipo; dicha herramienta,además, almacena y procesa la información obtenida, emitiendo informes sobre hallazgos por el no cumplimiento de la norma.Palabras clave: agroindustria, auditoría ambiental, impacto ambiental, medio ambiente.O conceito de auditoria ambiental (AA) serve para medir e avaliar as consequências e impactos que tem o desenvolvimento de uma atividade empresarial, seja esta agrícola, industrial, o de serviços, sobre o entorno; do mesmo jeito, identifica, prevê e interpreta os efeitos que origina sobre os recursos naturais o desenvolvimento de tal atividade. A consequência que a agroindústria utiliza recursos entregados pela agricultura, a atividade florestal e a pesca, transformando-os através do uso de métodos industriais, baseado em processos tecnológicos, que em muitos casos chegam até impactar de jeito negativo o entorno meio ambiental, uma AA se faz necessária para medir e avaliar se as organizações possuem um sistema adequado de gestão ambiental, de jeito que se ajuste à regulação sobre o meio ambiente, com fim de procurar e implantar controles e corretivos adequados, que amolem e evitem incorrer em passivos ambientais. O objetivo geral foi criar um sistema de informação para o modelo de AA aplicado a agroindústria, e o tipo de pesquisa é documental por quanto compila, analisa, e apropria informação sobre a normatividade contável, de auditoria e de ética, relacionada com a atividade de um auditor ambiental; para isso o Grupo criou uma ferramenta que lhe permite sistematizar cada uma das fases que deve abranger uma auditoria deste tipo; a tal ferramenta, além, armazena e processa a informação obtida, emitindo informes sobre achados pela falta de acatamento da norma

    Dental attendance and behavioural pathways to adult oral health inequalities.

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    BACKGROUND: While inequalities in oral health are documented, little is known about the extent to which they are attributable to potentially modifiable factors. We examined the role of behavioural and dental attendance pathways in explaining oral health inequalities among adults in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. METHODS: Using nationally representative data, we analysed inequalities in self-rated oral health and number of natural teeth. Highest educational attainment, equivalised household income and occupational social class were used to derive a latent socioeconomic position (SEP) variable. Pathways were dental attendance and behaviours (smoking and oral hygiene). We used structural equation modelling to test the hypothesis that SEP influences oral health directly and also indirectly via dental attendance and behavioural pathways. RESULTS: Lower SEP was directly associated with fewer natural teeth and worse self-rated oral health (standardised path coefficients, -0.21 (SE=0.01) and -0.10 (SE=0.01), respectively). We also found significant indirect effects via behavioural factors for both outcomes and via dental attendance primarily for self-rated oral health. While the standardised parameters of total effects were similar between the two outcomes, for number of teeth, the estimated effect of SEP was mostly direct while for self-rated oral health, it was almost equally split between direct and indirect effects. CONCLUSION: Reducing inequalities in dental attendance and health behaviours is necessary but not sufficient to tackle socioeconomic inequalities in oral health

    Boundary Term in Metric f(R) Gravity: Field Equations in the Metric Formalism

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    The main goal of this paper is to get in a straightforward form the field equations in metric f(R) gravity, using elementary variational principles and adding a boundary term in the action, instead of the usual treatment in an equivalent scalar-tensor approach. We start with a brief review of the Einstein-Hilbert action, together with the Gibbons-York-Hawking boundary term, which is mentioned in some literature, but is generally missing. Next we present in detail the field equations in metric f(R) gravity, including the discussion about boundaries, and we compare with the Gibbons-York-Hawking term in General Relativity. We notice that this boundary term is necessary in order to have a well defined extremal action principle under metric variation.Comment: 12 pages, title changes by referee recommendation. Accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitation. Matches with the accepted versio

    Early-life course factors and oral health among young Norwegian adults

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    Objective Using a national sample of young Norwegian adults, we examined whether unpleasant experience with dental care during childhood is associated with tooth loss and oral health–related quality of life in adulthood after accounting for early- and later-life socio-behavioural circumstances and dental avoidance behaviour. Methods 2433 individuals aged 25-35 years participated in an electronic survey. Oral quality of life was measured using the oral impact of daily performance (OIDP) inventory. Generalized linear models and negative binomial regression models were used to estimate the association of early unpleasant experiences with dental care and tooth loss and OIDP scores. Incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the relative differences in prevalence of tooth loss and OIDP scores. Results Adjusting for early-life characteristics only, the prevalence of tooth loss was 1.42 (IRR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.24-1.64) and 1.96 (IRR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.70-2.26) times higher among individuals who reported unpleasant experiences a few times or several times, than in individuals who did not report unpleasant experiences with dental care in childhood. Adjusting further for educational level, smoking and tooth brushing attenuated the relative differences (IRR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.22-1.62 and IRR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.62-2.17, respectively). Lastly, when adjusting for dental avoidance behaviour, the prevalence of tooth loss was 1.29 (IRR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.11-1.50) and 1.58 (IRR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.32-1.88) times higher among individuals who reported unpleasant experiences a few times or several times than in those who did not. Corresponding associations of early unpleasant experience with OIDP were (IRR = 1.41 95% CI: 1.22-1.63) and (IRR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.42-2.01) when adjusting for early-life characteristics, and (IRR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.20-1.60) and (IRR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.27-1.80) when adjusting for education, smoking and tooth brushing. When adjusting for dental avoidance behaviour, the association of early unpleasant experience with OIDP became nonsignificant. Conclusion Unpleasant dental care experiences during childhood are associated with poor oral health in adulthood, independent of later-life socio-behavioural characteristics including negative dental care seeking. This highlights the importance of tailoring regular contacts with dental healthcare services in childhood to build confidence in children and thus has implications for healthcare policy.publishedVersio

    Health insurance and education: major contributors to oral health inequalities in Colombia

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    Background Health inequalities, including inequalities in oral health, are problems of social injustice worldwide. Evidence on this issue from low-income and middle-income countries is still needed. We aimed to examine the relationship between oral health and different dimensions of socioeconomic position (SEP) in Colombia, a very unequal society emerging from a long-lasting internal armed conflict. Methods Using data from the last Colombian Oral Health Survey (2014), we analysed inequalities in severe untreated caries (≥3 teeth), edentulousness (total tooth loss) and number of missing teeth. Inequalities by education, income, area-level SEP and health insurance scheme were estimated by the relative index of inequality and slope index of inequality (RII and SII, respectively). Results A general pattern of social gradients was observed and significant inequalities for all outcomes and SEP indicators were identified with RII and SII. Relative inequalities were larger for decay by health insurance scheme, with worse decay levels among the uninsured (RII: 2.57; 95% CI 2.11 to 3.13), and in edentulousness (RII: 3.23; 95% CI 1.88 to 5.55) and number of missing teeth (RII: 2.08; 95% CI 1.86 to 2.33) by education, with worse levels of these outcomes among the lower educated groups. Absolute inequalities followed the same pattern. Inequalities were larger in urban areas. Conclusion Health insurance and education appear to be the main contributors to oral health inequalities in Colombia, posing challenges for designing public health strategies and social policies. Tackling health inequalities is crucial for a fairer society in a Colombian post-conflict era and our findings highlight the importance of investing in education policies and universal health care coverage
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