Spending on Pets: Tails from the Consumer Expenditure Survey

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. households own pets. There are about 218 million pets in the United States, not counting several million fish. Pet ownership crosses many demographic boundaries, with Americans of different ages and levels of wealth reporting spending on pets. Further, Americans spend a substantial amount of money on the care and feeding of their animals. Americans spent approximately $61.4 billion in total on their pets in 2011. On average, each U.S. household spent just over$500 on pets. This amounts to about 1 percent of total spending per year for the average household. Using information collected in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Expenditure (CE) Diary and Interview Surveys from 2007 to 2011, this article looks at the trends in spending by household or consumer unit, and examines which groups spent the most and the least on pets

Consultants as victims of bullying and undermining: a survey of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists consultant experiences

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore incidents of bullying and undermining among obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) consultants in the UK, to add another dimension to previous research and assist in providing a more holistic understanding of the problem in medicine. Design: Questionnaire survey. Setting: Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Participants: O&G consultant members/fellows of the RCOG working in the UK. Main outcome measures: Measures included a typology of 4 bullying and undermining consequences from major to coping. Results: There was a 28% (664) response rate of whom 44% (229) responded that they had been persistently bullied or undermined. Victims responded that bullying and undermining is carried out by those senior or at least close in the hierarchy. Of the 278 consultants who answered the question on ‘frequency of occurrence’, 50% stated that bullying and undermining occurs on half, or more, of all encounters with perpetrators and two-thirds reported that it had lasted more than 3 years. The reported impact on professional and personal life spans a wide spectrum from suicidal ideation, depression and sleep disturbance, and a loss of confidence. Over half reported problems that could compromise patient care. When victims were asked if the problem was being addressed, 73% of those that responded stated that it was not. Conclusions: Significant numbers of consultants in O&G in the UK are victims of bullying and undermining behaviour that puts their own health and patient care at risk. New interventions to tackle the problem, rather than its consequences, are required urgently, together with greater commitment to supporting such interventions

Consultants as victims of bullying and undermining: a survey of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists consultant experiences

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore incidents of bullying and undermining among obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) consultants in the UK, to add another dimension to previous research and assist in providing a more holistic understanding of the problem in medicine. Design: Questionnaire survey. Setting: Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Participants: O&G consultant members/fellows of the RCOG working in the UK. Main outcome measures: Measures included a typology of 4 bullying and undermining consequences from major to coping. Results: There was a 28% (664) response rate of whom 44% (229) responded that they had been persistently bullied or undermined. Victims responded that bullying and undermining is carried out by those senior or at least close in the hierarchy. Of the 278 consultants who answered the question on ‘frequency of occurrence’, 50% stated that bullying and undermining occurs on half, or more, of all encounters with perpetrators and two-thirds reported that it had lasted more than 3 years. The reported impact on professional and personal life spans a wide spectrum from suicidal ideation, depression and sleep disturbance, and a loss of confidence. Over half reported problems that could compromise patient care. When victims were asked if the problem was being addressed, 73% of those that responded stated that it was not. Conclusions: Significant numbers of consultants in O&G in the UK are victims of bullying and undermining behaviour that puts their own health and patient care at risk. New interventions to tackle the problem, rather than its consequences, are required urgently, together with greater commitment to supporting such interventions

New ferrocene-derived hydroxymethylphosphines: FcP(CH₂OH)₂ [Fc=(η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)] and the dppf analogue 1,1′-Fc′[P(CH₂OH)₂]₂ [Fc′=Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂]

Reactions of the ferrocene-phosphines FcPH₂ and 1,1′-Fc′(PH₂)₂ with excess formaldehyde gives the new hydroxymethylphosphines FcP(CH₂OH)₂ 1 and 1,1′-Fc′[P(CH₂OH)₂]₂ 2, respectively. Phosphine 1 is an air-stable crystalline solid, whereas 2 is isolated as an oil. Reaction of 1 with H₂O₂, S₈ or Se gives the chalcogenide derivatives FcP(E)(CH₂OH)₂ (E=O, S or Se), whilst reaction of 2 with S8 gives 1,1′-Fc′[P(S)(CH₂OH)₂]₂, which were fully characterised. Phosphine 1 was also characterised by an X-ray crystal structure determination

Platinum(II) complexes containing ferrocene-derived phosphonate ligands; synthesis, structural characterisation and antitumour activity

Platinum ferrocenyl–phosphonate complexes, containing four-membered Pt---O---P(O)---O rings, have been synthesised by the reactions of cis-[PtCl₂(PPh₃)₂] with the ferrocene-derived phosphonic acids Fc(CH₂)nP(O)(OH)₂(n=0–2) [Fc=(η⁵-C₅H₄)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₅)] and 1,1′-Fc′[P(O)(OH)₂]₂ [Fc′=Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂] in the presence of Ag₂O. The complexes have been characterised by NMR spectroscopy, together with crystal structure determinations on [Fc(CH₂)nPO₃Pt(PPh₃)₂] (n=1, 2) and [1,1′-Fc′{PO₃Pt(PPh₃)₂}₂]. The complexes [Fc(CH₂)nPO₃Pt(PPh₃)₂] (n=1, 2) show moderate activity against P388 leukaemia cells, whereas the parent phosphonic acids are inactive

Ferrocenyl hydroxymethylphosphines (η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe[η⁵⁻C₅H₄P(CH₂OH)₂] and 1,1′-[Fe{η⁵-C₅H₄P(CH₂OH)₂}₂] and their chalcogenide derivatives

The ferrocenyl hydroxymethylphosphines FcP(CH₂OH)₂ [Fc=(η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)] and 1,1′-Fc′[P(CH₂OH)₂]₂ [Fc′=Fe(η⁵⁻C₅H₄)₂] were prepared by reactions of the corresponding primary phosphines FcPH₂ and 1,1′-Fc′(PH₂)₂ with excess aqueous formaldehyde. The crystal structure of FcP(CH₂OH)₂ was determined and compared with the known ferrocenyl hydroxymethylphosphine FcCH₂P(CH₂OH)₂. The chalcogenide derivatives FcP(E)(CH₂OH)₂ and 1,1′-Fc′[P(E)(CH₂OH)₂]₂ (E=O, S, Se) were prepared and fully characterised. Crystal structure determinations on FcP(O)(CH₂OH)₂ and FcP(S)(CH₂OH)₂ were performed, and the hydrogen-bonding patterns are compared with related compounds. The sulfide shows no hydrogen-bonding involving the phosphine sulfide group, in contrast to other reported ferrocenyl hydroxymethylphosphine sulfides. The platinum complex cis-[PtCl₂{FcP(CH₂OH)₂}₂] was prepared by reaction of 2 mol equivalents of FcP(CH₂OH)₂ with [PtCl₂(1,5-cyclo-octadiene)], and was characterised by 31P-NMR spectroscopy and negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry, which gave a strong [M+Cl]⁻ ion

‘User-friendly’ primary phosphines and an arsine: synthesis and characterization of new air-stable ligands incorporating the ferrocenyl group

Reaction of FcCH₂CH₂P(O)(OH)₂ or FcCH₂P(O)(OH)(OEt) [Fc=Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η⁵-C₅H₅)] with excess CH₂N₂ followed by reduction with Me₃SiCl–LiAlH₄ gives the air-stable primary phosphines FcCH₂CH₂PH₂ and the previously reported analogue FcCH₂PH₂ in high yields. Reduction of 1,1′-Fc′[CH₂P(O)(OEt)₂] [Fc′=Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂] and 1,2-Fc″[CH₂P(O)(OEt)₂] [Fc″=Fe(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵-C₅H₃)] similarly gives the new primary phosphines 1,1′-Fc′(CH₂PH₂)₂ and 1,2-Fc″(CH₂PH₂)₂, respectively. The arsine FcCH₂CH₂AsH₂, which is also air-stable, has been prepared by reduction of the arsonic acid FcCH₂CH₂As(O)(OH)₂ using Zn/HCl. An X-ray structure has been carried out on the arsine, which is only the second structure determination of a free primary arsine. The molybdenum carbonyl complex [1,2-Fc″(CH₂PH₂)₂Mo(CO)₄] was prepared by reaction of the phosphine with [Mo(CO)₄(pip)₂] (pip=piperidine), and characterized by a preliminary X-ray structure determination. However, the same reaction of 1,1′-Fc′(CH₂PH₂)₂with [Mo(CO)₄(pip)₂] gave [1,1′-Fc′(CH₂PH₂)₂Mo(CO)₄] and the dimer [1,1′-Fc′(CH₂PH₂)₂Mo(CO)₄]₂, characterized by electrospray mass spectrometry. 1,1′-Fc′[CH₂PH₂Mo(CO)₅]₂ and 1,2-Fc″[CH₂PH₂Mo(CO)₅]₂ were likewise prepared from the phosphines and excess [Mo(CO)₅(THF)]

Synthesis and characterisation of ferrocenyl-phosphonic and -arsonic

The ferrocene-derived acids FcCH₂CH₂E(O)(OH)₂ [4, E=P; 10, E=As; Fc=Fe(η₅-C₅H₅)(η⁵-C₅H₄)] have been synthesized by the reaction of FcCH₂CH₂Br with either P(OEt)₃ followed by hydrolysis, or with sodium arsenite followed by acidification. Reaction of FcCH₂OH with (EtO)₂P(O)Na gave FcP(O)(OEt)(OH), which was converted to FcCH₂P(O)(OH)₂ (3) by silyl ester hydrolysis using Me₃SiBr–Et₃N followed by aqueous work-up. Similarly, the known phosphonic acid FcP(O)(OH)₂and the new derivatives 1,1′-Fc′[P(O)(OH)₂]₂ [Fc′=Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂] and 1,1′-Fc′[CH₂P(O)(OH)₂]₂(7) have been synthesized via their corresponding esters. X-ray crystal structure determinations have been carried out on 3 and 7, and the hydrogen-bonding networks discussed. Electrospray mass spectrometry has been employed in the characterization of the various acids. Phosphonic acids give the expected [M–H]− ions and their fragmentation at elevated cone voltages has been found to be dependent on the acid. FcP(O)(OH)₂ fragments to [C₅H₄PO₂H]−, but in contrast Fc(CH₂)nP(O)(OH)₂ (n=1, 2) give Fe{η⁵-C₅H₄(CH₂)nP(O)O₂]− ions, which are proposed to have an intramolecular interaction between the Fe atom and the phosphonate group. In contrast, arsonic acid (10), together with PhAs(O)(OH)₂for comparison, undergo facile alkylation (in methanol or ethanol solvent), and at elevated cone voltages (e.g. >60 V) undergo carbon–arsenic bond cleavage giving [CpFeAs(O)(OR)O]− (R=H, Me, Et) and ultimately [AsO₂]− ions