The relationship between organisational context and work-life balance of employees in New Zealand : a quantitative study using social exchange theory : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Work-life balance (WLB) is often a determining factor in terms of employee retention, commitment, and satisfaction. Demographic changes such as the increase of women in the labour force, ageing populations and family structures, have resulted in employees shifting their lifestyle focus from solely work to catering to their non-work activities as well. This has also evolved the relationship between employee and employer. According to social exchange theory (SET), the employment relationship is built on the rule of reciprocity where employee attitudes and behaviours are influenced by expected benefits or fulfilment of needs. This thesis will address the application of SET to WLB by investigating how the concepts of perceived organisational support (POS), employee engagement (defined as organisational and job engagement) and the psychological contract (PC) interact with WLB. The primary research design used in this study is a cross-sectional correlational survey. The target participants were New Zealand (NZ) based individuals employed in various fields and positions. A total of 114 fully completed surveys were analysed using the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) technique. To help further explore key findings from the quantitative analysis, semi-structured qualitative interviews with a diversity expert, a senior human resource professional, and a human resource professor provided valuable insights with which to triangulate and extend the survey findings. POS was found to influence all the PC dimensions and WLB. Organisational engagement did not have any influence on either the PC dimensions or WLB, while job engagement had a negative influence on WLB. This presents concerns for employers on how attachment to the organisation may or may not impact areas other than WLB, such as turnover and organisational citizenship behaviour. The only PC dimensions with an influence on WLB were those related to job content and the respect for private life. The study offers a framework on how the context that the organisation offers impacts employees’ perceptions of WLB. The implication that there is a link between what employees expect and how they relate to WLB demonstrates the importance for practitioners to take a more personalised approach around WLB practices if they are to be effective

Plugging mechanisms and plugging reduction techniques in heap leaching operations: a review.

Abstract: Plugging of pore spaces is the most significant contributor to ponding, decrease in the mineral resource recoveries and stability problems in heap leaching operations as ore permeability is reduced. Consequently, the identification of different plugging mechanisms is very important for optimisation of heap leaching processes. This paper reviews various pore spaces plugging mechanisms, including ore heap compaction, migration of fine particles, presence of large fractions of clays in ores, agglomerate destruction under acid effect and dissolution-precipitation processes. Proactive plugging reduction techniques including ore placement, ore agglomeration, heap aeration and lixiviant application techniques are also explained as means to prevent pore spaces plugging during heap leaching operations. The findings of this paper can be useful in guiding laboratory and industrial heap leaching operations.Abstract: Plugging of pore spaces is the most significant contributor to ponding, decrease in the mineral resource recoveries and stability problems in heap leaching operations as ore permeability is reduced. Consequently, the identification of different plugging mechanisms is very important for optimisation of heap leaching processes. This paper reviews various pore spaces plugging mechanisms, including ore heap compaction, migration of fine particles, presence of large fractions of clays in ores, agglomerate destruction under acid effect and dissolution-precipitation processes. Proactive plugging reduction techniques including ore placement, ore agglomeration, heap aeration and lixiviant application techniques are also explained as means to prevent pore spaces plugging during heap leaching operations. The findings of this paper can be useful in guiding laboratory and industrial heap leaching operations

Alkaline leaching of nickel bearing ammonium jarosite precipitate using KOH, NaOH and NH4OH in the presence of EDTA and Na2S

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Kinetic studies of nickel dissolution from ammonium jarosite precipitate in an alkaline medium

The dissolution kinetics of nickel from ammonium jarosite precipitate in an alkaline medium was investigated. The effects of various parameters were studied to optimize the dissolution conditions and to determine the kinetics on the leaching process based on the shrinking core model..

Plugging mechanisms and plugging reduction techniques in heap leaching operations: a review.

Abstract: Plugging of pore spaces is the most significant contributor to ponding, decrease in the mineral resource recoveries and stability problems in heap leaching operations as ore permeability is reduced. Consequently, the identification of different plugging mechanisms is very important for optimisation of heap leaching processes. This paper reviews various pore spaces plugging mechanisms, including ore heap compaction, migration of fine particles, presence of large fractions of clays in ores, agglomerate destruction under acid effect and dissolution-precipitation processes. Proactive plugging reduction techniques including ore placement, ore agglomeration, heap aeration and lixiviant application techniques are also explained as means to prevent pore spaces plugging during heap leaching operations. The findings of this paper can be useful in guiding laboratory and industrial heap leaching operations

Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Patient’s Activities before the Onset of Stroke and Localization of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Black Africans

Background: Some published studies on the patient’s activity before the stroke occurrence indicate that thereis an increased risk of the onset of acute stroke during these activities. In our community, these data are not yet assessed. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine whether intracerebral hemorrhage may be linked to patient’s physical activity before the onset and to carry out any relationship with location of the hemorrhage.Methods: The patient’s activity before the onset of stroke and location of hemorrhage in 58 patients (40 men and 18 women, aged 39 to 81years) admitted with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage seen by CT in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 2012 to 2015, were recorded and analyzed using logistic regression models. Results: In 31% of the case, the onset developed after emotional factors, in 24% in the lavatory, in 15% during housework and in 12% during sexual activity (X-squared = 8.319, p-value = 0.081). There was no significant difference between those activities and the site of intracerebral hemorrhage (p?0.05).Conclusion: Most patients in this series seemed to be stricken by the hemorrhagic stroke during some physical activity. It is less certain that location of intracerebral hemorrhage was linked with these activities

Carence en fer, anémie et anémie ferriprive chez les donneurs de sang à Kinshasa, République Démocratique du Congo

Introduction: En République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), plus d'un million de don de sang ont été réalisés entre 2007 et 2011. Cependant, aucun bilan portant sur la carence en fer et l'anémie ferriprive, conséquence d'un don de sang chez les donneurs de sang (DS), n'est disponible dans ce pays. L'objectif de cette étude était d'estimer la prévalence de la carence en fer, de l'anémie et de l'anémie ferriprive chezles DS au Centre National de Transfusion Sanguine (CNTS) à Kinshasa en RDC. Méthodes: Entre Décembre 2012 et Août 2013, une étude transversale a été menée au CNTS où des DS éligibles au don de sang ont été inclus. Les informations socio démographiques et des prélèvements sanguins ont été collectés de manière simultanée au don de sang. La ferritine sérique a été dosée pour évaluer la carence en fer en utilisant la technique ELISA. L'hémogramme a été réalisé en vue d'évaluer et mettre au point l'anémie. Résultats: Au total 386 DS ont été inclus dans cette étude. La prévalence de la carence en fer et de l'anémie ferriprive étaient respectivement de 63,2% (244/386) et 25,9% (100/386) des DS. Une anémie a été trouvée chez 36.5% (141/386) au moment du don de sang. Conclusion: La carence en fer, l'anémie et l'anémie ferriprive demeurent très fréquentes chez les DS à Kinshasa. Ces résultats suggèrent la révision des tests biologiques utilisés dans le recrutement des DS au CNTS. Par ailleurs le dosage de la ferritine s'impose en routine chez les DS régPan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

"I Was Not Told That I Still Have The Virus": Perceptions of Utilization of Option B plus Services at a Health Center in Malawi

Utilization of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services remains a challenge as losses to follow-up are substantial. This study explored factors that influence adherence to maternal antiretroviral (ARV) medications among PMTCT mothers in Malawi. We conducted a descriptive qualitative study from September 2016 to May 2017 using purposive sampling among 16 PMTCT mothers and 4 key informant interviews with health-care workers. Data were audio-recorded and analyzed thematically. The factors that influence adherence to maternal ARV medications include the quality of PMTCT services and social support. Factors that impede adherence include suboptimal counseling women receive on ARV medications, cost of travel, and conflicting advice from religious institutions. Adherence to maternal ARV medications will require the use of existing social support systems in a woman's life as a platform for delivery of the drugs while also maintaining continued and comprehensive counseling on the benefits of maternal ARV medications

Impact of cattle on the abundance of indoor and outdoor resting malaria vectors in southern Malawi

Background Understanding the blood feeding preferences and resting habits of malaria vectors is important for assessing and designing effective malaria vector control tools. The presence of livestock, such as cattle, which are used as blood meal hosts by some malaria vectors, may impact malaria parasite transmission dynamics. The presence of livestock may provide sufficient blood meals for the vectors, thereby reducing the frequency of vectors biting humans. Alternatively, the presence of cattle may enhance the availability of blood meals such that infectious mosquitoes may survive longer, thereby increasing the risk of malaria transmission. This study assessed the effect of household-level cattle presence and distribution on the abundance of indoor and outdoor resting malaria vectors. Methods Houses with and without cattle were selected in Chikwawa district, southern Malawi for sampling resting malaria vectors. Prokopack aspirators and clay pots were used for indoor and outdoor sampling, respectively. Each house was sampled over two consecutive days. For houses with cattle nearby, the number of cattle and the distances from the house to where the cattle were corralled the previous night were recorded. All data were analysed using generalized linear models fitted with Poisson distribution. Results The malaria vectors caught resting indoors were Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.), Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus s.s. Outdoor collections consisted primarily of An. arabiensis. The catch sizes of indoor resting An. gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) were not different in houses with and without cattle (P = 0.34). The presence of cattle near a house was associated with a reduction in the abundance of indoor resting An. funestus s.l. (P = 0.04). This effect was strongest when cattle were kept overnight ≤ 15 m away from the houses (P = 0.03). The blood meal hosts varied across the species. Conclusion These results highlight differences between malaria vector species and their interactions with potential blood meal hosts, which may have implications for malaria risk. Whereas An. arabiensis remained unaffected, the reduction of An. funestus s.s. in houses near cattle suggests a potential protective effect of cattle. However, the low abundance of mosquitoes reduced the power of some analyses and limited the generalizability of the results to other settings. Therefore, further studies incorporating the vectors’ host-seeking behaviour/human biting rates are recommended to fully support the primary finding