Gender equalities: what lies ahead. Work, Employment and Society, 35 (4) . pp. 615-620. ISSN 0950-0170

It is hard to over-estimate the importance of the social sciences in informing us of deepening inequalities at work and how they are likely to play out as the economic crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds. Understanding the long-term impact of the pandemic requires us to think across the intersection of work and society. This is challenging work as part of taking an intersectional position means accepting that transmission thrives on inequality where occupation and occupational risk are often mapped onto class, race, ethnicity, sex and geography (Middleton et al., 2020). [...

Pengaruh Semangat Dan Disiplin Kerja Terhadap Produktivitas Karyawan Pada PT Hasjrat Abadi Manado

. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the spirit and discipline on employee productivity at PT. Hasjrat Abadi Manado, either partially or simultaneously. This study uses multiple regression analysis, the independent variables morale (X1) and discipline (X2), and the dependent variable labor productivity (Y). The total sample of 65 respondents, and to test the hypothesis, F test and t test From the analysis of the data obtained the following regression equation: Y = 5.887 + 0.58 X1 + 0.508 X2 + 2. The coefficient of determination (R2) is approximately 0.354 provides that the actual research work productivity can be explained by two independent variables, that is spirit and working discipline at 35.4%. While the remaining 64.6% influenced by other variables not studied. The amount of F count = 18.568> F table = 3.145 with significant level p value = 0.00 t table = 2.042 and significance p value = 0.000> 0.05 it can be concluded that Ho is rejected and Ha accepted, or spirit and discipline effect on employee productivity

Decoding human mental states by whole-head EEG+fNIRS during category fluency task performance

Objective: Concurrent scalp electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which we refer to as EEG+fNIRS, promises greater accuracy than the individual modalities while remaining nearly as convenient as EEG. We sought to quantify the hybrid system's ability to decode mental states and compare it with unimodal systems. Approach: We recorded from healthy volunteers taking the category fluency test and applied machine learning techniques to the data. Main results: EEG+fNIRS's decoding accuracy was greater than that of its subsystems, partly due to the new type of neurovascular features made available by hybrid data. Significance: Availability of an accurate and practical decoding method has potential implications for medical diagnosis, brain-computer interface design, and neuroergonomics

ChIP-on-chip significance analysis reveals large-scale binding and regulation by human transcription factor oncogenes

ChIP-on-chip has emerged as a powerful tool to dissect the complex network of regulatory interactions between transcription factors and their targets. However, most ChIP-on-chip analysis methods use conservative approaches aimed to minimize false-positive transcription factor targets. We present a model with improved sensitivity in detecting binding events from ChIP-on-chip data. Biochemically validated analysis in human T-cells reveals that three transcription factor oncogenes, NOTCH1, MYC, and HES1, bind one order of magnitude more promoters than previously thought. Gene expression profiling upon NOTCH1 inhibition shows broad-scale functional regulation across the entire range of predicted target genes, establishing a closer link between occupancy and regulation. Finally, the resolution of a more complete map of transcriptional targets reveals that MYC binds nearly all promoters bound by NOTCH1. Overall, these results suggest an unappreciated complexity of transcriptional regulatory networks and highlight the fundamental importance of genome-scale analysis to represent transcriptional programs

Integromic analysis of genetic variation and gene expression identifies networks for cardiovascular disease phenotypes

BACKGROUND - : Cardiovascular disease (CVD) reflects a highly coordinated complex of traits. Although genome-wide association studies have reported numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to be associated with CVD, the role of most of these variants in disease processes remains unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS - : We built a CVD network using 1512 SNPs associated with 21 CVD traits in genome-wide association studies (at P≤5×10) and cross-linked different traits by virtue of their shared SNP associations. We then explored whole blood gene expression in relation to these SNPs in 5257 participants in the Framingham Heart Study. At a false discovery rate <0.05, we identified 370 cis-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs; SNPs associated with altered expression of nearby genes) and 44 trans-eQTLs (SNPs associated with altered expression of remote genes). The eQTL network revealed 13 CVD-related modules. Searching for association of eQTL genes with CVD risk factors (lipids, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and body mass index) in the same individuals, we found examples in which the expression of eQTL genes was significantly associated with these CVD phenotypes. In addition, mediation tests suggested that a subset of SNPs previously associated with CVD phenotypes in genome-wide association studies may exert their function by altering expression of eQTL genes (eg, LDLR and PCSK7), which in turn may promote interindividual variation in phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS - : Using a network approach to analyze CVD traits, we identified complex networks of SNP-phenotype and SNP-transcript connections. Integrating the CVD network with phenotypic data, we identified biological pathways that may provide insights into potential drug targets for treatment or prevention of CVD

Self-consumption of electricity from renewable sources

If the cost of energy production from renewable energy sources (RES) reduces below the level of electricity retail prices, self-consumption (SC) can contribute to market integration of RES. Support schemes such as feed-in tariffs could be phased out in view of parity of retail prices and RES production costs. In combination with electricity storage and demand response (DR), SC can facilitate the integration of variable renewables onto the grid and lower the overall costs of the energy system through load shifting particularly if storage and DR is managed using ICT and algorithms controlling charging cycles and usage of electric devices. Some issues remain however: Self-consumption potential is limited without further technical enhancements in storage or DR solutions. To organize self-consumption efficiently, measures on the grid side and energy storage have to be taken. Enabling the grid to provide necessary information back to prosumers and vice versa, as well as developing economic ways of storing energy is key to unleashing the potential that lies within the transition from passive consumers to active prosumers. Different policies, such as the support of investments to storage installations, can foster those developments. The impact of electricity retail prices has to be considered also. Self-consumption is profitable if the costs of locally produced RES are lower than the retail electricity price. There are, however, worries that a high penetration of self-consumption solutions might lead to an unfair distribution of network charges, taxes and levies even if storage and DR measures can lower additional costs arising from PV integration. Future energy policy can address the way how costs get allocated

Probing the atmosphere of HD189733b with the Na I and K I lines

High spectral resolution transmission spectroscopy is a powerful tool to characterize exoplanet atmospheres. Especially for hot Jupiters, this technique is highly relevant, due to their high altitude absorption e.g. from resonant sodium (Na I) and potassium (K I) lines. We resolve the atmospheric K I-absorption on HD189733b with the aim to compare the resolved K I -line and previously obtained high resolution Na I-D-line observations with synthetic transmission spectra. The line profiles suggest atmospheric processes leading to a line broadening of the order of 10 km/s for the Na I-D-lines, and only a few km/s for the K I-line. The investigation hints that either the atmosphere of HD189733b lacks a significant amount of K I or the alkali lines probe different atmospheric regions with different temperature, which could explain the differences we see in the resolved absorption lines

Intraoperative electrocortical stimulation of Brodman area 4: a 10-year analysis of 255 cases

BACKGROUND: Brain tumor surgery is limited by the risk of postoperative neurological deficits. Intraoperative neurophysiological examination techniques, which are based on the electrical excitability of the human brain cortex, are thus still indispensable for surgery in eloquent areas such as the primary motor cortex (Brodman Area 4). METHODS: This study analyzed the data obtained from a total of 255 cerebral interventions for lesions with direct contact to (121) or immediately adjacent to (134) Brodman Area 4 in order to optimize stimulation parameters and to search for direct correlation between intraoperative potential changes and specific surgical maneuvers when using monopolar cortex stimulation (MCS) for electrocortical mapping and continuous intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. RESULTS: Compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) were recorded from the thenar muscles and forearm flexors in accordance with the large representational area of the hand and forearm in Brodman Area 4. By optimizing the stimulation parameters in two steps (step 1: stimulation frequency and step 2: train sequence) MCS was successful in 91% (232/255) of the cases. Statistical analysis of the parameters latency, potential width and amplitude showed spontaneous latency prolongations and abrupt amplitude reductions as a reliable warning signal for direct involvement of the motor cortex or motor pathways. CONCLUSION: MCS must be considered a stimulation technique that enables reliable qualitative analysis of the recorded potentials, which may thus be regarded as directly predictive. Nevertheless, like other intraoperative neurophysiological examination techniques, MCS has technical, anatomical and neurophysiological limitations. A variety of surgical and non-surgical influences can be reason for false positive or false negative measurements

Ephemeris refinement of 21 Hot Jupiter exoplanets with high timing uncertainties

Transit events of extrasolar planets offer a wealth of information for planetary characterization. However, for many known targets, the uncertainty of their predicted transit windows prohibits an accurate scheduling of follow-up observations. In this work, we refine the ephemerides of 21 Hot Jupiter exoplanets with the largest timing uncertainty. We collected 120 professional and amateur transit light curves of the targets of interest, observed with 0.3m to 2.2m telescopes, and analyzed them including the timing information of the planets discovery papers. In the case of WASP-117b, we measured a timing deviation compared to the known ephemeris of about 3.5 hours, for HAT-P-29b and HAT-P-31b the deviation amounted to about 2 hours and more. For all targets, the new ephemeris predicts transit timings with uncertainties of less than 6 minutes in the year 2018 and less than 13 minutes until 2025. Thus, our results allow for an accurate scheduling of follow-up observations in the next decade