Are fixed-term jobs bad for your health? : a comparison of West-Germany and Spain

"In this paper we analyse the health effects of fixed-term contract status for men and women in West-Germany and Spain using panel data. This paper asks whether changes in the employment relationship, as a result of the liberalisation of employment law, have altered the positive health effects associated with employment (Goldsmith et al. 1996; Jahoda 1982). Using information on switches between unemployment and employment by contract type we analyze whether transitions to different contracts have different health effects. We find that unemployed workers show positive health effects at job acquisition, and also find the positive effect to be smaller for workers who obtain a fixed-term job. We also establish surprising differences by gender and country, with women less likely to report positive health effects at job acquisition. For West-Germany, this was found to be a function of the dual-burden of paid and unpaid care within the home." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))befristeter Arbeitsvertrag - Auswirkungen, Gesundheitszustand - internationaler Vergleich, Arbeitnehmer, geschlechtsspezifische Faktoren, Arbeitslose, Sozioökonomisches Panel, Europäisches Haushaltspanel, psychische Faktoren, Unsicherheit, Westdeutschland, Spanien, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Women between Part-Time and Full-Time Work: The Influence of Changing Hours of Work on Happiness and Life-Satisfaction

This paper asks whether part-time work makes women happy. Previous research on labour supply has assumed that as workers freely choose their optimal working hours on the basis of their innate preferences and the hourly wage rate, outcome reflects preference. This paper tests this assumption by measuring the impact of changes in working-hours on life satisfaction in two countries (the UK and Germany using the German Socio-Economic Panel and the British Household Panel Survey). We find decreases in working-hours bring about positive and significant improvement on well-being for women.Temporary Employment, Unemployment, Health

Causes of adult deaths in developing countries : a review of data and methods

Relatively little attention has been paid to the problem of premature adult mortality in developing countries, despite high levels of mortality in many countries - and despite the potentially severe social and economic consequences of adult deaths. Circulatory diseases and external causes appear to be major causes of adult deathsin most countries. The relative contribution of other important causes - including tuberculosis, cancer, liver disease, respiratory disease, and maternity related complications varies between countries. Techniques for determining cause specific adult mortality require thorough field testing and validation. The authors discuss several possible approaches, and categorize selected major causes of death according to whether they are likely to be diagnosed or excluded, on the basis of symptoms reported by relatives. They consider methods for classifying and presenting data on cause of death and conclude with recommendations for further methodological research.Demographics,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Systems Development&Reform,Health Indicators,Statistical&Mathematical Sciences

Are fixed-term jobs bad for your health? A comparison of West-Germany and Spain

"In this paper we analyse the health effects of fixed-term contract status for men and women in West-Germany and Spain using panel data. This paper asks whether changes in the employment relationship, as a result of the liberalisation of employment law, have altered the positive health effects associated with employment (Goldsmith et al. 1996; Jahoda 1982). Using information on switches between unemployment and employment by contract type we analyze whether transitions to different contracts have different health effects. We find that unemployed workers show positive health effects at job acquisition, and also find the positive effect to be smaller for workers who obtain a fixed-term job. We also establish surprising differences by gender and country, with women less likely to report positive health effects at job acquisition. For West-Germany, this was found to be a function of the dual-burden of paid and unpaid care within the home." (author's abstract)Der Beitrag analysiert die gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen befristeter Arbeitsverträge für Männer und Frauen in Westdeutschland und Spanien auf der Basis eines repräsentativen Datenpanels. Die Frage lautet, ob der Wandel der Beschäftigungsverhältnisse als Folge einer Liberalisierung der Arbeitsgesetzgebung Veränderungen der positiven gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen, die von einem Arbeitsverhältnis ausgehen (Goldsmith et al. 1996; Jahoda 1982) bewirken. Unter Nutzung von Informationen über Wechsel zwischen Arbeitslosigkeit und Beschäftigungsverhältnis je nach Art des Arbeitsvertrages wird analysiert, ob der Übergang in unterschiedliche Vertragsverhältnisse auch unterschiedliche gesundheitliche Auswirkungen hat. Es zeigt sich, dass für arbeitslose Arbeiter die Arbeitsaufnahme positive gesundheitliche Auswirkungen hat, sich dieser Effekt aber bei Arbeitern, die einen befristeten Job annehmen, verringert. Hinzukommen überraschende Unterschiede nach Geschlecht und Land, wobei Frauen in der Regel weniger über positive gesundheitliche Auswirkungen einer Arbeitsaufnahme berichten. Dieses Ergebnis fand für Westdeutschland seine Erklärung als Folge der Doppelbelastung von bezahlter Arbeit und unbezahlter Betreuungsarbeit im Haushalt. (IAB

Experiments on Gas Phase Chemistry with High Sensitivity Laser Spectroscopy

Gas phase chemistry is important to many environments on Earth and beyond. The Earth’s atmosphere is dominated by free radical reactions that, when perturbed by pollution, can lead to serious environmental problems like stratospheric ozone depletion and urban smog. Outside Earth, many other planetary atmospheres are affected by gas phase, radical chemistry, including the atmosphere of Saturn’s Moon Titan. Gas phase chemistry in interstellar clouds can synthesize the molecular building blocks of our universe. Studying gas phase chemistry has also led to basic chemical knowledge of how chemical reactions proceed and how intermolecular forces work. This work is dedicated to studying gas phase chemical reactions with high-sensitivity laser spectroscopy. Laser spectroscopy can be a sensitive and selective way to detect gas phase species. Since laser pulses can both create reactants and detect the products, laser techniques allow the study of chemical kinetics in real time. Consequently, many different laser techniques have been developed to study gas phase chemistry. This thesis is divided into two sections: a longer first section on my work at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA and a smaller second section based on my work at the Université de Rennes 1 in Rennes, France. These two sections, while on different topics – atmospheric chemical reactions and collisional rotational energy transfer at ultra-low temperatures – are united by their study of gas phase with laser spectroscopy, which shows the breadth of this experimental approach. This thesis will both look at kinetics (the rate of chemical reactions) and product yield of chemical reactions, both key pieces of information to modeling gas phase reactions. The first part of this work outlines my work at the California Institute of Technology, studying atmospheric radical chemistry with cavity-ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS). Chapter 1 put this work in a broader picture of current scientific work on Earth’s atmosphere. Chapter 2 provides a detailed description of our cavity-ringdown spectrometer and temperature-controlled flow cell. Next, I discuss work on three important atmospheric reactions: the isomerization of simple alkoxy radicals (Chapter 3), the reaction of HO₂ with NO (Chapter 4), and the reaction of OH with NO2 (Chapter 5). The second, and smaller, part of this work, contains one chapter – chapter 6 – on work done at the Université de Rennes 1, which describes work on the rotational energy transfer in collisions between CO and Ar at temperatures from 293 to 30 K with infrared-vacuum ultraviolet double resonance CRESU experiments. </p

Kinetics of n-Butoxy and 2-Pentoxy Isomerization and Detection of Primary Products by Infrared Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy

The primary products of n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy isomerization in the presence and absence of O_2 have been detected using pulsed laser photolysis-cavity ringdown spectroscopy (PLP-CRDS). Alkoxy radicals n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy were generated by photolysis of alkyl nitrite precursors (n-butyl nitrite or 2-pentyl nitrite, respectively), and the isomerization products with and without O_2 were detected by infrared cavity ringdown spectroscopy 20 μs after the photolysis. We report the mid-IR OH stretch (ν_1) absorption spectra for δ-HO-1-C_4H_8•, δ-HO-1-C_4H_8OO•, δ-HO-1-C_5H_(10)•, and δ-HO-1-C_5H_(10)OO•. The observed ν_1 bands are similar in position and shape to the related alcohols (n-butanol and 2-pentanol), although the HOROO• absorption is slightly stronger than the HOR• absorption. We determined the rate of isomerization relative to reaction with O_2 for the n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy radicals by measuring the relative ν_1 absorbance of HOROO• as a function of [O_2]. At 295 K and 670 Torr of N_2 or N_2/O_2, we found rate constant ratios of k_(isom)/k_(O2) = 1.7 (±0.1) × 10^(19) cm^(–3) for n-butoxy and k_(isom)/k_(O2) = 3.4(±0.4) × 10^(19) cm^(–3) for 2-pentoxy (2σ uncertainty). Using currently known rate constants k_(O2), we estimate isomerization rates of k_(isom) = 2.4 (±1.2) × 10^5 s^(–1) and k_(isom) ≈ 3 × 10^5 s^(–1) for n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy radicals, respectively, where the uncertainties are primarily due to uncertainties in k_(O2). Because isomerization is predicted to be in the high pressure limit at 670 Torr, these relative rates are expected to be the same at atmospheric pressure. Our results include corrections for prompt isomerization of hot nascent alkoxy radicals as well as reaction with background NO and unimolecular alkoxy decomposition. We estimate prompt isomerization yields under our conditions of 4 ± 2% and 5 ± 2% for n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy formed from photolysis of the alkyl nitrites at 351 nm. Our measured relative rate values are in good agreement with and more precise than previous end-product analysis studies conducted on the n-butoxy and 2-pentoxy systems. We show that reactions typically neglected in the analysis of alkoxy relative kinetics (decomposition, recombination with NO, and prompt isomerization) may need to be included to obtain accurate values of k_(isom)/k_(O2)

Nanoencapsulation of hydrophobic phytochemicals using poly(dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) for antioxidant and antimicrobial delivery applications: Guabiroba fruit (Campomanesia xanthocarpa O. Berg) study

AbstractPrevious studies have reported antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of guabiroba extract (GE), which is associated to its polyphenolic and carotenoid contents. Encapsulation using polymeric materials could improve GE application, bioavailability, and stability in foods and pharmaceuticals. Poly (dl-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles with entrapped GE were synthesized using the emulsion-evaporation method with different lactide to glycolide (50:50 and 65:35) ratios to determine the dependency of polymer composition on nanoparticles antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Controlled release experiments showed an initial burst followed by a slower release rate of carotenoids inside PLGA matrix. Both nanoparticles showed Listeria innocua growth inhibition within the concentration range tested (<1200 μg/mL), that was not observed by the free extract. Lower GE concentrations were required to reduce reactive oxygen species once it was nanoencapsulated; however, equivalent or higher concentrations for free radical scavenging were required. GE-loaded PLGA 50:50 presented the best results for antimicrobial and antioxidant delivery applications. These nanoparticles could be used with other extracts containing carotenoids and other functional lipids as delivery systems for enhanced biological activity

Development, validation and evaluation of a patient information booklet for rectal cancer survivors with a stoma:A three-step approach

OBJECTIVE: Quantitatively measure the degree of patient satisfaction and perceived acquired knowledge through the development of a patient information booklet for rectal cancer survivors with a stoma, according to a novel three-step approach. METHODS: The study included a systematic literature review to identify relevant information for the booklet, which was validated by experts based on relevance, clarity and essentiality. It underwent testing on quality, readability, and layout and design and was quantitatively evaluated by rectal cancer survivors with a stoma. RESULTS: In total, 145 articles were used for the development of the booklet. It scored 91% for relevance according to 17 experts, 70% for readability, 75.63% for quality and 23 out of 32 for design. The mean score of patient satisfaction was 8.03 out of 10. All 20 patients found the booklet 'useful' and 95% felt better informed. CONCLUSIONS: The booklet scored high for patient satisfaction and increased perceived acquired information. It ensured satisfactory levels of quality, readability, and layout and design. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study offers a novel three-step approach for development of informational tools for cancer survivors, assuring that a variety of newly created written patient materials would be of increased quality and relevance to any target population

Gesundheitliche Auswirkungen befristeter Verträge in Deutschland und Spanien

"Die negativen psychischen und physischen Auswirkungen der Arbeitslosigkeit sind in der Literatur hinreichend bekannt. Mit der seit längerem fortschreitenden Flexibilisierung des Arbeitsmarktes - beispielsweise durch die hier untersuchten befristeten Verträge - ergeben sich jedoch neue Fragen. Sind beim Verlassen der Arbeitslosigkeit über einen befristeten Vertrag die gleichen positiven gesundheitlichen Wirkungen zu beobachten wie typischerweise beim Wechsel in ein unbefristetes Beschäftigungsverhältnis? Sind eventuell zu beobachtende Effekte dauerhaft und vor allem gibt es Länderspezifika? Unterschiedliche Auswirkungen könnten beispielsweise auf die Häufigkeit der Vergabe befristeter Verträge zurückzuführen sein. Aus diesem Grunde vergleichen die Verfasserinnen Deutschland (wo die Anteile befristeter Verträge nur relativ langsam steigen) mit Spanien (wo inzwischen rund ein Drittel aller Beschäftigten befristet beschäftigt ist). Die Zusammenhänge zwischen Vertragsart und Gesundheit in diesen beiden Ländern werden mit Hilfe des Sozioökonomischen Panels und des European Community Household Panels untersucht. Auf Basis eines Samples von Arbeitslosen wird hierbei analysiert, welche gesundheitlichen Effekte sich beim Verlassen der Arbeitslosigkeit in die verschiedenen Vertragsformen hinein ergeben. Die empirischen Ergebnisse zeigen folgendes: Verlassen Arbeitslose die Arbeitslosigkeit über ein befristetes Beschäftigungsverhältnis, so sind die positiven gesundheitlichen Effekte tendenziell kleiner sind als beim Abgang in einen unbefristeten Vertrag. Darüber hinaus gibt es überraschende Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Ländern und insbesondere den Geschlechtern: Frauen berichten in viel geringerem Umfang als Männer, dass die Arbeitsaufnahme ihren Gesundheitszustand verbessert hat. In Deutschland scheint die Ursache hierfür insbesondere die doppelte Belastung aus beruflichen und familiären Verpflichtungen zu sein." (Autorenreferat