Evaluation of the NAS-ILAB Matrix for Monitoring International Labor Standards: Project Report

The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) engaged the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to recommend a method to monitor and evaluate labor conditions in a given country. The method focuses on 5 labor standards: freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced or compulsory labor, child labor, discrimination, and acceptable conditions of work

A comprehensive platform for highly multiplexed mammalian functional genetic screens

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genome-wide screening in human and mouse cells using RNA interference and open reading frame over-expression libraries is rapidly becoming a viable experimental approach for many research labs. There are a variety of gene expression modulation libraries commercially available, however, detailed and validated protocols as well as the reagents necessary for deconvolving genome-scale gene screens using these libraries are lacking. As a solution, we designed a comprehensive platform for highly multiplexed functional genetic screens in human, mouse and yeast cells using popular, commercially available gene modulation libraries. The Gene Modulation Array Platform (GMAP) is a single microarray-based detection solution for deconvolution of loss and gain-of-function pooled screens.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Experiments with specially constructed lentiviral-based plasmid pools containing ~78,000 shRNAs demonstrated that the GMAP is capable of deconvolving genome-wide shRNA "dropout" screens. Further experiments with a larger, ~90,000 shRNA pool demonstrate that equivalent results are obtained from plasmid pools and from genomic DNA derived from lentivirus infected cells. Parallel testing of large shRNA pools using GMAP and next-generation sequencing methods revealed that the two methods provide valid and complementary approaches to deconvolution of genome-wide shRNA screens. Additional experiments demonstrated that GMAP is equivalent to similar microarray-based products when used for deconvolution of open reading frame over-expression screens.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Herein, we demonstrate four major applications for the GMAP resource, including deconvolution of pooled RNAi screens in cells with at least 90,000 distinct shRNAs. We also provide detailed methodologies for pooled shRNA screen readout using GMAP and compare next-generation sequencing to GMAP (i.e. microarray) based deconvolution methods.</p

Faculty evaluation: Reliability of peer assessments of research, teaching, and service

In this paper, assessments of faculty performance for the determination of salary increases are analyzed to estimate interrater reliability. Using the independent ratings by six elected members of the faculty, correlations between the ratings are calculated and estimates of the reliability of the composite (group) ratings are generated. Average intercorrelations are found to range from 0.603 for teaching, to 0.850 for research. The average intercorrelation for the overall faculty ratings is 0.794. Using these correlations, the reliability of the six-person group (the composite reliability) is estimated to be over 0.900 for each of the three areas and 0.959 for the overall faculty rating. Furthermore, little correlation is found between the ratings of performance levels of individual faculty members in the three areas of research, teaching, and service. The high intercorrelations and, consequently, the high composite reliabilities suggest that a reduction in the number of raters would have relatively small effects on reliability. The findings are discussed in terms of their relationship to issues of validity as well as to other questions of faculty assessment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43600/1/11162_2004_Article_BF00991934.pd

Personnel Practices for an Aging Workforce

This report, prepared for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, is based on data from the National Older Workers Information System (NOWIS), directed by Lawrence Root. The Committee Print includes an overview of the NOWIS databased and condensed examples of a variety of personnel practices implemented to better utilize older workers.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83673/1/Nowis--Private-Sector-Examples-SenatePrint.pd

Evaluation of the NAS-ILAB Matrix for Monitoring International Labor Standards

[Excerpt] Labor practices have become a part of many international trade agreements. In response to growing interest in international labor standards, the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) engaged the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to recommend a method to monitor and evaluate labor conditions in a country. The focus was on five labor standards: (1) Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining; (2) Forced or Compulsory Labor; (3) Child Labor; (4) Discrimination; and (5) Acceptable Conditions of Work. NAS developed an approach which included formulating indicators for each of the five labor standards, creating a database of sources of reliable empirical information for assessing these indicators, and suggesting a method for assessing and monitoring compliance that includes a matrix framework for graphically presenting assessments. The University of Michigan, in consultation with ILAB, evaluated this approach by having 3-person expert panels apply it to assessing and monitoring compliance in three countries. The panel members independently assessed the indicators in terms of level of compliance with international standards (“some problems,” “more extensive problems,” or “severe problems) and direction of change (“steady state,” “improving,” or “worsening”). Each panel then convened to discuss their assessments and seek to resolve differences in those assessments. Observation and analysis of this experience revealed challenges in applying this approach and potential modifications that could improve its operationalization. For most of the indicators, there was not agreement among the independent assessments by the panel members. Information was lacking or outdated for many of the indicators and, when present, was usually not definitive. Panelists raised a number of suggestions for changes in the indicators and matrix approach, more generally. WebMILS, the database created to support such assessments, was seen as a useful resource, although concerns were raised about limiting information sources to those that are available on the Internet. There were also suggestions for updating and modifying the version of WebMILS that was operational during the period of the evaluation. The panelists felt that the process they followed (independent assessments followed by a group meeting) was effective, although there was some feeling that more training might be helpful before undertaking the independent assessments. The evaluation experience also focused on the challenges of moving from an assessment of individual indicators using the matrix formulation to overall conclusions about a country’s compliance with international labor standards. The formulation of discrete indicators for each labor standard provides a basis for a more explicated or transparent discussion of compliance. But the proposed method does not provide guidance for integrating conclusions about individual indicators into a broader assessment of a country’s compliance with international standards. This issue raises important questions about the relative importance of different indicators and whether priorities could be established to direct such an effort.ILAB_Evaluation_of_the_NAS_ILAB_Matrix.pdf: 15 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Employee Benefits and Social Welfare: Complement and Conflict

Employee benefits constitute a major vehicle for the provision of income security for Americans. Since the 1940s, wage supplements, particularly in the form of pensions and health insurance, have expanded to provide protections that are the province of public programs in most other Western countries. Building upon the precedents of the welfare capitalism of the early 1900s, the growth of employee benefits has been actively stimulated by federal tax and regulatory policies. The emergence of employee benefits as a major source of income security and health insurance has reduced the aggregate need for public programs, but it has left those in lower-paying, less stable jobs-disproportionately women and minorities—both unprotected and with fewer political allies to press for improved protections. The implementation of the employee benefit programs has also created financial interests in the existing structure that would resist changes that would diminish their role.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67572/2/10.1177_000271628547900107.pd