Examining the Impact of Two Dimensions of Precarious Employment, Vulnerability and Insecurity on the Self-Reported Health of Men, Women and Migrants in Australia

Precarious employment is increasing and adversely affects health. We aimed to investigate how perception of precariousness in current employment impacts gender and migrant workers in Australia. Using cross-sectional interviews of 1292 workers born in Australia, New Zealand, India and the Philippines, data were collected on self-reported health, employment conditions and sociodemographics. Factor analysis of nine questions about perceptions of current employment revealed two dimensions, vulnerability and insecurity. Women had higher vulnerability scores (µ = 6.5 vs. µ = 5.5, t = 5.40, p-value (p) < 0.000) but lower insecurity scores (µ = 8.6 vs. µ = 9.3 t = −4.160 p < 0.0003) than men. Filipino-born workers had higher vulnerability compared with other migrant workers (µ = 6.5 vs. µ = 5.8 t = −3.47 p < 0.0003), and workers born in India had higher insecurity compared with other migrant workers (µ = 9.8 vs. µ = 8.9, t = −6.1 p < 0.0001). While the prevalence of insecurity varied by migrant status, the negative effect on health was higher for Australian-born workers than migrants. Increasing levels of vulnerability and insecurity impacted self-reported health negatively (Coefficient (Coef).0.34 p < 0.0001; Coef.0.25 p < 0.0001, respectively). The combination of high vulnerability and high insecurity had the greatest impact on health (Coef. 2.37 p = 0.002), followed by high vulnerability and moderate insecurity (Coef. 2.0 p = 0.007). Our study suggests that understanding both changes in employment conditions over time as well as knowledge of cultural patterns may offer the best chance of understanding the impact of precarious employment experiences.This research was funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project, grant number DP160100660

Is Excess Calcium Harmful to Health?

Most current guidelines recommend that older adults and the elderly strive for a total calcium intake (diet and supplements) of 1,000 to 1,300 mg/day to prevent osteoporosis and fractures. Traditionally, calcium supplements have been considered safe, effective and well tolerated, but their safety has recently been questioned due to potential adverse effects on vascular disease which may increase mortality. For example, the findings from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (currently published in abstract form only) revealed that the use of calcium supplements was associated with an ~30% increased risk of myocardial infarction. If high levels of calcium are harmful to health, this may alter current public health recommendations with regard to the use of calcium supplements for preventing osteoporosis. In this review, we provide an overview of the latest information from human observational and prospective studies, randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses related to the effects of calcium supplementation on vascular disease and related risk factors, including blood pressure, lipid and lipoprotein levels and vascular calcification

How refugees experience the australian workplace: A comparative mixed methods study

There is a growing body of evidence indicating poorer working conditions for migrant workers, particularly refugees, compared with native-born workers. Our objectives were to compare exposure to workplace psychosocial stressors in working refugees with other migrant groups and Australian-born workers of Caucasian ancestry and to describe the working experience of refugees. Cross-sectional surveys collected information on the workplace stressors of job complexity, control, security, bullying, and racial discrimination from six migrant groups (n = 1062) and Caucasian Australians (n = 1051); semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used with currently employed refugees (n = 30). Content analysis examined the qualitative data. Compared to all other groups, working refugees were more likely to report experiencing racial discrimination in the workplace and to report exposure to more than three hazards. Content analysis indicated that working refugees are working below their capacity, in terms of hours and qualifications, and in jobs that were low status and lacked security. Despite challenging work conditions, participants reported adequate health and safety training and feeling a sense of pride in their work. These findings highlight the need for better support for refugees in negotiating the workplace once they find employment and the importance of employers providing an inclusive and equitable workplace

Workplace psychosocial stressors experienced by migrant workers in Australia: A cross-sectional study

Objective: To explore work-related psychosocial stressors among people of Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic-speaking backgrounds currently working in Australia. Methods: In 2015, a telephone survey of 585 Vietnamese, Chinese and Arabic-speaking workers asked about workplace bullying, ethnic discrimination, job complexity, degree of control, security and fairness of payment along with demographic and employment information. Estimates of job-related psychosocial stressors were derived and regression analyses used to identify significant associations. Results: At least one workplace stressor was reported by 83% of the workers in the study. Education was significantly associated with experiencing any psychosocial stressor and also with the total number of stressors. Workers aged 45 years and older were more likely to be bullied or experience racial discrimination compared with younger workers of any ethnicity. There was a greater likelihood of reporting low control over a job when the interview was conducted in a language other than English and the workers were either Chinese or Arabic. Workers on a fixed-term contract, independent of ethnicity were more likely to report a job with low security. Overall psychosocial job quality decreased with education and was associated with occupation type which interacted with ethnicity and gender. Conclusions: The results suggest that job-related psychosocial stressors are widespread but not uniform across ethnic groups. Further research into what drives differences in work experience for migrant groups would provide information to guide both employers and migrants in ways to reduce workplace psychosocial stressors

Observational constraint on dynamical evolution of dark energy

We use the Constitution supernova, the baryon acoustic oscillation, the cosmic microwave background, and the Hubble parameter data to analyze the evolution property of dark energy. We obtain different results when we fit different baryon acoustic oscillation data combined with the Constitution supernova data to the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder model. We find that the difference stems from the different values of $\Omega_{m0}$. We also fit the observational data to the model independent piecewise constant parametrization. Four redshift bins with boundaries at $z=0.22$, 0.53, 0.85 and 1.8 were chosen for the piecewise constant parametrization of the equation of state parameter $w(z)$ of dark energy. We find no significant evidence for evolving $w(z)$. With the addition of the Hubble parameter, the constraint on the equation of state parameter at high redshift isimproved by 70%. The marginalization of the nuisance parameter connected to the supernova distance modulus is discussed.Comment: revtex, 16 pages, 5 figures, V2: published versio

Are There Ethnic Disparities in Exposure to Workplace Hazards Among New Zealand Migrants to Australia?

Disparities in exposure to workplace hazards exist between Māori and non-Māori workers in New Zealand, with Māori workers generally incurring poorer conditions. This study aimed to determine if these ethnic disparities are similar after migration to Australia. A national cross-sectional telephone survey asked participants what tasks they undertook in their job to assess exposure to carcinogens as well as whether they experienced ethnic discrimination, bullying, job precariousness, or job strain. A total of 389 New Zealand Caucasians and 152 Māori/Pasifika workers were recruited. After adjustment, 79% of Māori/Pasifika compared with 67% of New Zealand Caucasian workers were assessed as being exposed to at least one carcinogen at work. Māori/Pasifika workers were also more likely to report ethnic discrimination and fair or poor current health than New Zealand Caucasians. Some ethnic disparities in exposure to workplace hazards in New Zealand are apparent after migration to Australia

The Grizzly, November 4, 2010

Ursinus College Announces 13th President • Study Abroad Programs Give Students New Opportunities • Putting a Stop to the Climate Crisis One Meal at a Time • Berman Museum Continues Celebrating 20 Years • Wind Ensemble Performs in Lenfest • George Belaires: Looking for Fame in the Future • Tenure Candidate Dr. Joel Bish Feels at Home at Ursinus • UC Promotes Cancer Awareness • Internship Profile: Aimee Petronglo • Halloween Costume Inventory • Cover Up That Skin • Response to Annie Re\u27s Letter to the Editor • Students React to New UC President • UC Cheerleading Squad Rises to the Occasion • Women\u27s Basketball Looks to Run by Competitionhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1823/thumbnail.jp

Synthesis and reactivity of 4-oxo-5-trimethylsilanyl derived α-amino acids

A Lewis-acid promoted one-carbon homologation of an aspartic acid semialdehyde with trimethylsilyldiazomethane has led to the efficient synthesis of two silicon-containing α-amino acids. The use of trimethylaluminium or catalytic tin(II) chloride gave novel 4-oxo-5-trimethylsilanyl derived amino acids in yields of 71–88%. An investigation into the reactivity of these highly functional α-amino acids showed that selective cleavage of the C–Si bond could be achieved under mild basic conditions to give a protected derivative of the naturally occurring amino acid, 4-oxo-l-norvaline. Alternatively, Peterson olefination with aryl or alkyl aldehydes resulted in the formation of E-enone derived α-amino acids