359 research outputs found
JOB DEMANDS, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF IMMIGRANT AND NATIVE WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES
Over the last five decades, there has been an increase in the number of immigrants coming to and settling in the United States (U.S.). Limited research has explored the job and workplace characteristics that contribute to work-family conflict among immigrant workers. To fill this gap in knowledge this study examines the relationship of job demands, social support and worker characteristics to work-family conflict among immigrant and native workers in the U.S.
Using the 2002 National Study of Changing Workforce (NSCW), this exploratory study identifies the job demands, social support and socio-demographic factors related with time-based, and strain-based, work-family conflict among immigrant (n=157) and native workers (n=165). Four research questions were posited to examine the differences between the immigrant and native workers’ experiences of job demands, workplace social support, and work-family conflict; the relationship between job demands, workplace social support and time-based and strain-based work-family conflict; and the job demands, workplace social support and socio-demographic characteristics that predicted time-based, and strain-based work-family conflict. Independent sample t-tests, cross-tabulations, and stepwise multiple regressions via backward elimination method were used to address specific research questions.
Findings indicate that only two job demands, work schedule and learning requirements, are significantly different between immigrant and native workers. Multivariate analysis suggests that among immigrant workers, workload pressure, total hours worked, and lack of co-worker social support are significantly associated with time-based, work-family conflict; being married, lack of supervisor social support, lack of learning requirements, increased work hours and workload pressure are associated with strain-based, work-family conflict. Among native workers childcare responsibilities, lower levels of income, a job with rotating or split shifts, high workload pressure, increased work hours, and lower learning requirements are associated with time-based work-family conflict. Being younger, having lower supervisor social support, lower learning requirements, higher workload pressure, working at rotating/split shift, and having work role ambiguity are significant predictors of strain-based, work-family conflict among native workers.
Drawing on person-in-environment perspective, this study has implications for social work practice at individual, organizational, and policy levels, and also for work-life research among immigrant working populations
State Employment Protection Statutes for Victims of Domestic Violence as an Employment Matter
Evidence indicates that domestic violence has negative consequences on victims’ employment; yet employers lag in recognizing this as a workplace issue. To address the problem, some states have established several policy solutions. To understand the scope of the public sector’s response to domestic violence as a workplace issue, a content analysis of state-level employment protection policies for domestic violence victims (N=369) was conducted. Results indicate three broad policy categories: 1) policies that offer work leave for victims; 2) policies that aim to reduce employment discrimination of domestic violence victims; and 3) policies that aim to increase awareness and safety in the workplace. Sub-categories emerged within each of these three categories. Implementation of employment protection policies varies significantly across states. Implications for workplaces, practitioners and policy leaders are discussed
Challenges In Widening Participation Outreach: Is Enough Being Done To Tackle The Under-Representation Of Low-Income Students In Medicine?
Widening Participation (WP) in medicine refers to all theory, activities and policy concerned with removing barriers to entering medical school for students from lower income and under-represented backgrounds. Medical schools and other institutions including; the Medical Schools Council, the Office for Fair Access, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, have been committed to improving Widening Participation for more than a decade. As senior medical students and academics, we have been actively involved with WP work at our respective medical schools and in conjunction with the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Medical Schools Council (MSC). Yet, we have observed over the years that the pace of change seems sometimes stuttering and stagnated. Here, we have investigated the reasons why there is still such a significant under-representation of students from lower income backgrounds in medicine. In order to make the medical student intake representative of the general population, the number of applications from lower income students would need to increase five-fold. This would require a great scaling up of WP outreach work. Critical analysis demonstrates that medical schools and the other key institutions in medical education have made many nominal commitments to WP, but have yet to make any commitments that are truly binding. This may be due to the institutions lack of belief in their own capacity to scale up WP Outreach sufficiently to achieve success. Ultimately binding commitments will be needed to secure a representative intake of medical students. In order for institutions to be willing to move towards such commitments, evidence-based success in WP must first be demonstrated through collaboration on specific projects that are scalable, sustainable and impactful
Socio-economic dimension of fish farming in Assam
Information on socio-economic framework of the fish farmer
community forms a benchmark for policy formulation to develop this
economically backward sector. Very few studies have been conducted on the
socio-economic aspect of fish farming. Two districts of Assam, Darrang and
Nagaon, were selected for this study where 120 respondents from each district
were selected randomly. The characteristics representing the personnel and
socio-economic attributes of the fish farmers are presented in this paper. The
socio-economic status of fish farmers has to be improved by bringing the
modern concepts of fish farming to the doorstep of farmers
Milling, Nutritional, Physical and Cooking Properties of Four Basmati Rice Varieties
Rice is one of the most popular staple foods produced contributing higher most in agriculture gross domestic production in Nepal. Thus, nutritional, physicochemical, and cooking properties of rice might interplay important roles in their production and farming practice, therefore, it is inevitable to understand these characteristic features. However, there has been only limited information available on such properties, therefore we aimed to examine nutritional, physicochemical and cooking properties of four Basmati varieties of rice namely Red Basmati, White Basmati, Black Basmati and Pokhareli Basmati. These rice varieties were purchased from different places in Nepal in paddy form. In this study various parameters associated with milling, nutritional, physical and cooking properties were evaluated. To measure protein contents in rice, Kjeldal method was implied. Among the varieties, the protein content was maximum in Red Basmati (7.74%) and minimum in Black Basmati (6.51%). The milled rice percentage and head rice recovery were maximum in Pokhareli Basmati represented by 72.02±0.10 and 67.46±0.42, respectively, while and minimum in White Basmati represented by 68.17±0.50 and 65.11±0.28, respectively. The kernel elongation ratio and volume expansion ratio was maximum in Red Basmati represented by 1.62 and 2.85 respectively. Water uptake ratio was maximum 3.11 in Black Basmati and minimum of 2.18 in Red Basmati. Gruel loss was found lowest 1.05% in Red Basmati and highest represented by 2.40% in Black Basmati. The highest starch iodine blue value of 0.21 was observed in Red Basmati and lowest of 0.12 in Black Basmati. The Red Basmati was found to have the better cooking quality among all varieties
Degree of Milling Effect on Cold Water Rice Quality
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of degree of milling on various rice parameters such as proximate composition, and cooking properties using mathematical model. The experiments were performed in the laboratory of Food Research Division, Nepal Agricultural Research Council. The three different medium type rice varieties of Nepal (Lumle-2, Chhomrong and Machhapuchre-3) were exposed to five different degrees of milling (0%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 12%). The degree of milling (DM) level significantly (P≤0.05) affected the milling recovery; head rice yield, nutrient content as well as cooking properties of the rice. Increase in DM resulted in further reduction of protein content, fat content, minerals, milled rice and head rice yield after bran layer was further removed. A positive correlation between DM used in present model, amylose content, kernel elongation and gruel solid loss was observed, however, with an increase in DM; amylose content, kernel elongation and gruel solid loss were found to be increased. Adopting 6 to 8% DM for commercial milling of rice might help to prevent quantitative, qualitative and nutritional loss along with retention of good cooking characteristics
Dual-frequency VLBI study of Centaurus A on sub-parsec scales
Centaurus A is the closest active galactic nucleus. High resolution imaging
using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) enables us to study the spectral
and kinematic behavior of the radio jet-counterjet system on sub-parsec scales,
providing essential information for jet emission and formation models. Our aim
is to study the structure and spectral shape of the emission from the
central-parsec region of Cen A. As a target of the Southern Hemisphere VLBI
monitoring program TANAMI (Tracking Active Galactic Nuclei with Milliarcsecond
Interferometry), VLBI observations of Cen A are made regularly at 8.4 and 22.3
GHz with the Australian Long Baseline Array (LBA) and associated telescopes in
Antarctica, Chile, and South Africa. The first dual-frequency images of this
source are presented along with the resulting spectral index map. An angular
resolution of 0.4 mas x 0.7 mas is achieved at 8.4 GHz, corresponding to a
linear scale of less than 0.013 pc. Hence, we obtain the highest resolution
VLBI image of Cen A, comparable to previous space-VLBI observations. By
combining with the 22.3 GHz image, which has been taken without contributing
transoceanic baselines at somewhat lower resolution, we present the
corresponding dual-frequency spectral index distribution along the sub-parsec
scale jet revealing the putative emission regions for recently detected
gamma-rays from the core region by Fermi/LAT. We resolve the innermost
structure of the milliarcsecond scale jet and counterjet system of Cen A into
discrete components. The simultaneous observations at two frequencies provide
the highest resolved spectral index map of an AGN jet allowing us to identify
multiple possible sites as the origin of the high energy emission.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures (1 color); A&A, accepte
Stellar populations in a standard ISOGAL field in the Galactic disk
We aim to identify the stellar populations (mostly red giants and young
stars) detected in the ISOGAL survey at 7 and 15micron towards a field (LN45)
in the direction l=-45, b=0.0. The sources detected in the survey of the
Galactic plane by the Infrared Space Observatory are characterized based on
colour-colour and colour-magnitude diagrams. We combine the ISOGAL catalog with
the data from surveys such as 2MASS and GLIMPSE. Interstellar extinction and
distance are estimated using the red clump stars detected by 2MASS in
combination with the isochrones for the AGB/RGB branch. Absolute magnitudes are
thus derived and the stellar populations are identified based on their absolute
magnitudes and their infrared excess. A standard approach to the analysis of
ISOGAL disk observations has been established. We identify several hundred
RGB/AGB stars and 22 candidate young stellar objects in the direction of this
field in an area of 0.16 deg^2. An over-density of stellar sources is found at
distances corresponding to the distance of the Scutum-Crux spiral arm. In
addition, we determine mass-loss rates of AGB-stars using dust radiative
transfer models from the literature.Comment: 48pages, 38 figures, accepted for publication in A &
Historical BCG vaccination combined with drug treatment enhances inhibition of mycobacterial growth ex vivo in human peripheral blood cells
© 2019, The Author(s). Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading infectious cause of death globally. Drug treatment and vaccination, in particular with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), remain the main strategies to control TB. With the emergence of drug resistance, it has been proposed that a combination of TB vaccination with pharmacological treatment may provide a greater therapeutic value. We implemented an ex vivo mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA) to discriminate vaccine responses in historically BCG-vaccinated human volunteers and to assess the contribution of vaccine-mediated immune response towards the killing effect of mycobacteria in the presence of the antibiotics isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), in an attempt to develop the assay as a screening tool for therapeutic TB vaccines. BCG vaccination significantly enhanced the ability of INH to control mycobacterial growth ex vivo. The BCG-vaccinated group displayed a higher production of IFN-γ and IP-10 when peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were co-cultured with INH, with a similar trend during co-culture with RIF. A higher frequency of IFN-γ + and TNF-α + CD3 − CD4 − CD8 − cells was observed, suggesting the contribution of Natural Killer (NK) cells in the combined effect between BCG vaccination and INH. Taken together, our data indicate the efficacy of INH can be augmented following historical BCG vaccination, which support findings from previous observational and animal studies.EC HORIZON2020 TBVAC2020; Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP); UK Medical Research Council (MRC); UK Department for International Development (DFID
Synthesis and evaluation of analgesic, anti-asthmatic activity of (E)-1-(8-hydroxyquinolin-7-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1 ones
Abstract Seventeen (E)-1-(8-hydroxyquinolin-7-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1 one derivatives were synthesized via aldol condensation of substituted benzaldehydes with quinoline chalcones starting from 8-hydroxy quinoline. Molecular docking studies were performed on COX-2 protein for analgesic activity and PDE 4 enzyme for anti-asthmatic activity. Docking studies for analgesic activity reveal that the compounds 2 , 4 , 12 , 14 , and 15 showed significant interaction in terms of hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic attachment and van der Waal interaction with COX-2. The docking studies and pharmacological screening indicate that substitution of hydroxyl and conjugated ketone groups on the aldehyde ring and the quinoline ring accelerates analgesia with better binding to active site. Eddy's hot plate method was used to evaluate analgesic activity of the synthesized compounds. Compounds showed a substantial increase in reaction time when compared with standard pentazocin. Compounds 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 and 13 showed significant binding interactions with PDE 4 enzyme and hence were selected for evaluation of anti-asthmatic activity using the goat tracheal chain method. Studies reveal that substitution of the methoxy group at 4th & 5th positions for compounds 2 , 4 & 7 leads to significant percentage inhibition of histamine induced contraction. The synthesized compounds are thus found to be potent as analgesic and anti-asthmatic agents
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