519 research outputs found
All work and no pay: consequences of unpaid work experience in the creative industries
This research note evaluates the benefits and pitfalls of unpaid work as an entry route into employment in the creative industries and investigates the consequences of this practice for those who already work in the sector. Based on a qualitative study of perspectives of stakeholders in unpaid work, this article argues that the social capital thesis, often used as a rationale for unpaid work, inadequately explains the practice of unpaid work experience, primarily because it does not take cognisance of the consequences of this practice for other people working in the sector. The study also highlights methodological issues that need to be considered in the future. As well as the importance of a plurality of stakeholder perspectives, the study emphasizes the need to consider the perspectives of those who are excluded from unpaid work and those who are potentially displaced by it
Low pay and the living wage
Editorial Introducing Special Issue of Employee Relation
Perceptions of employability among London's low-paid: 'self-determination' or ethnicity?
We investigate how ethnicity, gender and other characteristics affect low-paid workersâ perceptions of their employability in Londonâs labour market, examining âself-determinationâ, ethnic and dual labour market theories. We find that perceptions vary considerably, both between genders and ethnicities and in the extent to which they are âjustifiedâ by human capital attributes. Optimism varies between genders and ethnic groups but individualsâ perceptions vary to an even greater extent within genders and ethnic groups. Hence, individual-level âself-determinationâ explanations of these perceptions appear to have greatest explanatory power though ethnic theories also have utility
Gender segregation, underemployment and subjective well-being in the UK labour market
This article argues that gender segregation influences patterns of underemployment and
the relationships that underemployment has with the subjective well-being of men and
women. Previous studies have paid little attention to how gender segregation shapes
underemployment, an increasingly prominent feature of the UK and European labour
markets since the economic crisis of 2008. Using data from the UK Annual Population
Surveys, this article examines time-related underemployment: people working part time
because they cannot find a full-time job. The article asks whether there are gender
differences in underemployment trends and in the links between underemployment and
subjective well-being. The results suggest that the probability of underemployment is
growing at a faster rate among women rather than men and that underemployment is
most common in the jobs that women are more likely to perform, namely in femaledominated
occupations, the public sector and small organizations. Underemployment is
least common in male-dominated occupations and industries and in the private sector.
Moreover, for employees with longer tenures, underemployment has more negative
relationships with the subjective well-being of women than with that of men. These
findings imply that gender segregation in labour markets is a crucial factor to consider
when researching underemployment and its consequences
Household consumption of orange-fleshed sweet potato and its associated factors in Chipata District, Eastern Province Zambia
BACKGROUND: The Integrating Orange Project promotes production and consumption of orange-fleshed
sweet potato (OFSP) to address vitamin A deficiency among rural populations of Zambia since 2011.
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed household production and consumption of OFSP and identified factors
associated with consumption thereof in Integrating Orange Project areas in Chipata district, Zambia.
METHODS: Respondents of 295 randomly selected households were interviewed using a structured
questionnaire during the sweet potato harvest season. Associations between OFSP consumption and
household factors were assessed using w2 tests.
RESULTS: Frequency of OFSP consumption was categorized as 4 days during the last 7 days (30.2%), 1
to 3 days during the last 7 days (49.5%), eats OFSP but not during the last 7 days (7.1%), and never
(13.2%). In total, 60.3% of households planted OFSP, and 40.0% bought OFSP, mostly from farmers
within the community. Orange-fleshed sweet potato consumption was associated with the presence of
children aged less than 5 years in the household (P Œ .018), production of OFSP (P < .001), purchasing
of OFSP (P < .001), and respondent having knowledge on health benefits of OFSP (P Œ .014). Age and
sex of the household head and household size had no association with OFSP consumption (P > .05).
CONCLUSION: A high percentage of households consumed OFSP during the harvesting season in
Integrating Orange Project areas. Programs promoting OFSP consumption should thus focus on OFSP
production and sensitizing households on nutritional benefits of OFSP and target households with
children aged less than 5 years as entry point.IS
Cancer Risks near Nuclear Facilities: The Importance of Research Design and Explicit Study Hypotheses
BackgroundIn April 2010, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission asked the National Academy of Sciences to update a 1990 study of cancer risks near nuclear facilities. Prior research on this topic has suffered from problems in hypothesis formulation and research design.ObjectivesWe review epidemiologic principles used in studies of generic exposureâresponse associations and in studies of specific sources of exposure. We then describe logical problems with assumptions, formation of testable hypotheses, and interpretation of evidence in previous research on cancer risks near nuclear facilities.DiscussionAdvancement of knowledge about cancer risks near nuclear facilities depends on testing specific hypotheses grounded in physical and biological mechanisms of exposure and susceptibility while considering sample size and ability to adequately quantify exposure, ascertain cancer cases, and evaluate plausible confounders.ConclusionsNext steps in advancing knowledge about cancer risks near nuclear facilities require studies of childhood cancer incidence, focus on in utero and early childhood exposures, use of specific geographic information, and consideration of pathways for transport and uptake of radionuclides. Studies of cancer mortality among adults, cancers with long latencies, large geographic zones, and populations that reside at large distances from nuclear facilities are better suited for public relations than for scientific purposes
The living wage : policy and practice
A recent development in addressing the longstanding problem of low pay in the United Kingdom has been the emergence of a social campaign for a âliving wageâ. Using a case study approach this article explores an employer's decision to pay the living wage that, in turn, provided both challenges and opportunities for the unions in their dealings with contractors
Ethnicity and low wage traps: favouritism, homosocial reproduction and economic marginalization
This article analyses the relationship between cultural difference, social connections and opportunity structures using interview evidence from low-paid workers and managers in local government, the health service, facilities management and housing. Exploring the operation of homosocial reproduction it reveals the double-edged nature of informality and the role of favouritism in particular in perpetuating ethnic advantage and privilege. While demonstrating that uses of homosocial reproduction need to be sensitive to intersections of identities or categories of difference, the article adds further evidence of the persistent gap between equal opportunities policies and practice for ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom labour market. The article concludes that stronger forms of positive action, and even positive discrimination, are needed to address the low pay traps and restricted opportunities of ethnic minority workers
MAGIC polymer gel for dosimetric verification in boron neutron capture therapy
"Radiation-sensitive polymer gels are among the most promising three-dimensional dose verification tools developed to date. We tested the normoxic polymer gel dosimeter known by the acronym MAGIC (methacrylic and ascorbic acid in gelatin initiated by copper) to evaluate its use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) dosimetry. We irradiated a large cylindrical gel phantom (diameter: 10 cm; length: 20 cm) in the epithermal neutron beam of the Finnish BNCT facility at the FiR 1 nuclear reactor. Neutron irradiation was simulated with a Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNP. To compare dose-response, gel samples from the same production batch were also irradiated with 6 MV photons from a medical linear accelerator. Irradiated gel phantoms then underwent magnetic resonance imaging to determine their R2 relaxation rate maps. The measured and normalized dose distribution in the epithermal neutron beam was compared with the dose distribution calculated by computer simulation. The results support the feasibility of using MAGIC gel in BNCT dosimetry.""Radiation-sensitive polymer gels are among the most promising three-dimensional dose verification tools developed to date. We tested the normoxic polymer gel dosimeter known by the acronym MAGIC (methacrylic and ascorbic acid in gelatin initiated by copper) to evaluate its use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) dosimetry. We irradiated a large cylindrical gel phantom (diameter: 10 cm; length: 20 cm) in the epithermal neutron beam of the Finnish BNCT facility at the FiR 1 nuclear reactor. Neutron irradiation was simulated with a Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNP. To compare dose-response, gel samples from the same production batch were also irradiated with 6 MV photons from a medical linear accelerator. Irradiated gel phantoms then underwent magnetic resonance imaging to determine their R2 relaxation rate maps. The measured and normalized dose distribution in the epithermal neutron beam was compared with the dose distribution calculated by computer simulation. The results support the feasibility of using MAGIC gel in BNCT dosimetry.""Radiation-sensitive polymer gels are among the most promising three-dimensional dose verification tools developed to date. We tested the normoxic polymer gel dosimeter known by the acronym MAGIC (methacrylic and ascorbic acid in gelatin initiated by copper) to evaluate its use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) dosimetry. We irradiated a large cylindrical gel phantom (diameter: 10 cm; length: 20 cm) in the epithermal neutron beam of the Finnish BNCT facility at the FiR 1 nuclear reactor. Neutron irradiation was simulated with a Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNP. To compare dose-response, gel samples from the same production batch were also irradiated with 6 MV photons from a medical linear accelerator. Irradiated gel phantoms then underwent magnetic resonance imaging to determine their R2 relaxation rate maps. The measured and normalized dose distribution in the epithermal neutron beam was compared with the dose distribution calculated by computer simulation. The results support the feasibility of using MAGIC gel in BNCT dosimetry."Peer reviewe
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