Does the engineering culture in UK higher education advance women’s careers?

Current research suggests that increases in the number of women studying engineering and related courses have not been matched by a similar increase in women engineering professionals. This suggests that although women are attracted to engineering, their experiences in higher education (HE) discourage them from pursuing their chosen career path. The paper explores whether the masculine culture of the engineering sector permeates the culture and curriculum in engineering HE, and if it does, what impact this has on women engineering students. This is achieved through semi-structured, qualitative interviews with a range of female engineering students from both the pre and post 1992 university sectors. Findings indicate that while women are not deterred from pursuing their chosen engineering career, the culture and structure of the engineering education system has been designed for a male audience. This suggests that engineering HE does not benefit most female students to the same extent as male students. It is recommended that HE engineering must review its structure, culture, practices and curriculum if it is to retain female engineering graduates and to attract more women into the sector. This paper fulfils an identified gap in research on women in engineering and will be of interest to university engineering departments and faculties and the Engineering Council, as well as to those in the fields of social policy, education and equal opportunities

Sex Segregation and Salary Structure in Academia

This article reports a study of aggregate unit salary levels, within a major research university. We analyze these salary levels, as they are influenced by unit sex composition, and modified by unit attainment levels—where unit refers to the departments, colleges and schools, and other academic divisions of the university. We investigate three central issues of sex and salary, previously overlooked in salary studies of academic employees: Do high proportions of women depress men's unit salary levels ("competition" hypothesis)? Are women's salary levels higher in male-dominated, and lower in female-dominated, units ("concentration" hypothesis)? Are men salary-compensated for working with women ("compensation" hypothesis)? The findings support none of these hypotheses. Rather, the relationship between unit sex composition and salary rests upon the connection between units' composition and attainment levels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69126/2/10.1177_073088848100800103.pd

Busulfan target exposure attainment in children undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: a single day versus a multiday therapeutic drug monitoring regimen

Busulfan exposure has previously been linked to clinical outcomes, hence the need for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Study objective was to evaluate the effect of day 1 TDM-guided dosing (regimen d1) versus days 1 + 2 TDM-guided dosing (regimen d1 + 2) on attaining adequate busulfan exposure. In this observational study, we included all children receiving busulfan-based allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Primary outcome was the percentage of patients achieving busulfan target attainment in both TDM regimens. Secondary outcomes were the variance in busulfan exposure and day-4 clearance (Clday4) estimates between both TDM regimens and dosing day 1 and 2. In regimen d1, 84.3% (n = 91/108) attained a therapeutic busulfan exposure, while in regimen d1 + 2 a proportion of 90.9% was found (n = 30/33, not-significant). Variance of Clday4 estimate based on busulfan day 2 concentrations was significantly smaller than the variance of Clday4 estimates based on day 1 concentrations (p < 0.001). Therefore, day 1-guided TDM (pharmacometric model-based) of busulfan may be sufficient for attaining optimal target exposure, provided that subsequent TDM is carried out if required. However, performing TDM on subsequent days may be beneficial, as measurements on day 2 seemed to reduce the variance in the estimated clearance as compared to day 1 sampling

Hiring New Key Inventors to Improve Firms’ Post-M&A Inventive Output

Although merger and acquisitions (M&As) are acknowledged as an important means to access innovative assets and know-how, firms’ inventive output often declines in the post-M&A period. Financial, managerial and organizational constraints related to the M&A event contribute to inventive output declines and inventors’ departure. Prior literature treats the acquiring firm as a passive observer of invention declines. This study argues that acquiring firms can take measures by hiring new key inventors. We show that the hiring of new key inventors in the post-M&A period can counteract invention declines in two ways. First, these newly hired inventors are associated with an increase of corporate inventive output after the M&A. Second, they are also associated with an improved inventive output of inventors already working for the acquiring firm. These results suggest that an appropriate hiring policy can counteract declining inventive output of firms in the aftermath of M&As

Gendering the careers of young professionals: some early findings from a longitudinal study. in Organizing/theorizing: developments in organization theory and practice

Wonders whether companies actually have employees best interests at heart across physical, mental and spiritual spheres. Posits that most organizations ignore their workforce – not even, in many cases, describing workers as assets! Describes many studies to back up this claim in theis work based on the 2002 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference, in Cardiff, Wales

Clinical outcomes and end-of-life treatment in 596 patients with isolated traumatic brain injury:a retrospective comparison of two Dutch level-I trauma centers

Purpose: With an increasingly older population and rise in incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), end-of-life decisions have become frequent. This study investigated the rate of withdrawal of life sustaining treatment (WLST) and compared treatment outcomes in patients with isolated TBI in two Dutch level-I trauma centers. Methods: From 2011 to 2016, a retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥ 18 years with isolated moderate-to-severe TBI (Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) head ≥ 3) was conducted at the University Medical Center Rotterdam (UMC-R) and the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC-U). Demographics, radiologic injury characteristics, clinical outcomes, and functional outcomes at 3–6 months post-discharge were collected. Results: The study population included 596 patients (UMC-R: n = 326; UMC-U: n = 270). There were no statistical differences in age, gender, mechanism of injury, and radiologic parameters between both institutes. UMC-R patients had a higher AIShead (UMC-R: 5 [4–5] vs. UMC-U: 4 [4–5], p &lt; 0.001). There was no difference in the prehospital Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). However, UMC-R patients had lower GCSs in the Emergency Department and used more prehospital sedation. Total in-hospital mortality was 29% (n = 170), of which 71% (n = 123) occurred after WLST. Two percent (n = 10) remained in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) state during follow-up. Discussion: This study demonstrated a high WLST rate among deceased patients with isolated TBI. Demographics and outcomes were similar for both centers even though AIShead was significantly higher in UMC-R patients. Possibly, prehospital sedation might have influenced AIS coding. Few patients persisted in UWS. Further research is needed on WLST patients in a broader spectrum of ethics, culture, and complex medical profiles, as it is a growing practice in modern critical care. Level of evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.</p