Discrimination at Work: Comparing the Experiences of Foreign-trained and Locally-trained Engineers in Canada

This paper reports on the findings of a study of the experiences of discrimination faced by internationally- trained engineers in Canada. Three hundred foreign-trained and two hundred locally trained engineers were surveyed in order to identify the relationship of race, language proficiency, and location of training in finding work in the engineering field. In addition to measuring whether the applicants found work in the engineering field, this paper also sought to understand the perception of discrimination of internationally-trained engineers. Our findings demonstrate the relationship of race/ethnicity and its related marker—foreign training—with both ability to secure work in the engineering field and perceptions of discrimination. In the case of new immigrants, location of training was found to be a significant predictor of ability to find work in the engineering field, where locally-trained engineers were far more likely to acquire a job in the engineering field than foreign-trained engineers. Race/ethnicity was also found to be significantly associated with getting an engineering job among the locally-trained engineers

The Interlocking Oppressions of Employment-related Discrimination for Internationally Trained Engineers in Canada

Social work has a long history of engagement with immigrants and refugees. However, the demographic profile of immigrants to Canada and their needs are changing. The past few decades have seen an increase in the numbers of highly educated professional immigrants from non-traditional countries of immigration. Though not typically thought of in the social work profession as a vulnerable population, this group faces multiple oppressions in Canada. This article reports on the findings of 20 in-depth interviews with internationally trained engineers and their experiences of discrimination either while searching for work, or in the workplace after employment was secured. Two key findings that emerge from this paper have important insights for social work practice. The first indicates internationally trained engineers experience discrimination on multiple axes pertaining to their social identities. The second reveals that a few participants did not view themselves as victims of discrimination, even though they acknowledged discrimination to be at play when others like them were unable to secure jobs as engineers. The findings challenge traditional views of who constitute vulnerable populations and disrupt notions of immigrant populations needing social work intervention only at the point when they are unable to cope with their cultural and social adaptations. The findings highlight the need for social work education to train students in the areas of advocacy, anti-racism, and anti-oppressive practice in order to better meet the needs of these groups

Immigrant Mental Health, A Public Health Issue: Looking Back and Moving Forward

The Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) strategy calls for promoting the health and wellbeing of all Canadians and to improve mental health outcomes. Each year, one in every five Canadians experiences one or more mental health problems, creating a significant cost to the health system. Mental health is pivotal to holistic health and wellbeing. This paper presents the key findings of a comprehensive literature review of Canadian research on the relationship between settlement experiences and the mental health and well-being of immigrants and refugees. A scoping review was conducted following a framework provided by Arskey and O’Malley (Int J Soc Res Methodol 8:19–32, 2005). Over two decades of relevant literature on immigrants’ health in Canada was searched. These included English language peer-reviewed publications from relevant online databases Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Healthstar, ERIC and CINAHL between 1990 and 2015. The findings revealed three important ways in which settlement affects the mental health of immigrants and refugees: through acculturation related stressors, economic uncertainty and ethnic discrimination. The recommendations for public health practice and policy are discussed

Inhaled anticholinergic use and all-cause mortality among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between use of inhaled anticholinergics and all-cause mortality among elderly individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, health, functional status, smoking, and obesity.Methods: We used a retrospective longitudinal panel data design. Data were extracted for multiple years (2002–2009) of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) linked with fee-for-service Medicare claims. Generic and brand names of inhaled anticholinergics were used to identify inhaled anticholinergic utilization from the self-reported prescription medication files. All-cause mortality was assessed using the vital status variable. Unadjusted group differences in mortality rates were tested using the chi-square statistic. Multivariable logistic regressions with independent variables entered in separate blocks were used to analyze the association between inhaled anticholinergic use and all-cause mortality. All analyses accounted for the complex design of the MCBS.Results: Overall, 19.4% of the elderly Medicare beneficiaries used inhaled anticholinergics. Inhaled anticholinergic use was significantly higher (28.5%) among those who reported poor health compared with those reporting excellent or very good health (12.7%). Bivariate analyses indicated that inhaled anticholinergic use was associated with significantly higher rates of all-cause mortality (18.7%) compared with nonusers (13.6%). However, multivariate analyses controlling for risk factors did not suggest an increased likelihood of all-cause mortality (adjusted odds ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval 0.95–1.67).Conclusion: Use of inhaled anticholinergics among elderly individuals with COPD is potentially safe in terms of all-cause mortality when we adjust for baseline risk factors

Physician-related determinants of cervical cancer screening among Caribbean women in Toronto

BACKGROUND: Minority women in Canada are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer than their counterparts in the general population, despite the fact that the proportion of these women who consult a general practitioner about their health each year is similar to minority women. This study examined the physician and practice characteristics associated with Pap testing and perceived barriers to Pap testing of family physicians serving the Caribbean community of Toronto. METHODS: A mail-back questionnaire was sent to Toronto family physicians practicing in neighborhoods with a high proportion of Caribbean Canadians. RESULTS: Although 79.7% of the 64 participating physicians reported that they were \u27very likely to include Pap testing during an annual check-up, nearly half did not believe that the majority of Caribbean patients were actually screened. The amount of time a physician spent on patient education was significantly associated with his/her likelihood of screening. Male physicians who reported a high proportion of Caribbean female patients in their practices were significantly less likely to screen for cervical cancer than those who saw fewer Caribbean patients. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that an increased emphasis on patient education is important to increase screening practice and that physician gender may be of major importance to the Caribbean community

Potassium N,4-dichloro­benzene­sulfonamidate monohydrate

The structure of the title salt hydrate, K+·C6H4Cl2NO2S−·H2O, shows each of the sulfonyl O and water O atoms to be bidentate bridging. The hepta­coordinated K+ cation is connected to two water O atoms, four sulfonyl O atoms and one Cl atom. The crystal structure comprises sheets in the bc plane which are further stabilized by O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds

Potassium N-chloro-o-toluene­sulfonamidate monohydrate

In the crystal structure of the title compound, K+·C7H7ClNO2S−·H2O, the K+ ion is hepta­coordinated by two O atoms from water mol­ecules, four sulfonyl O atoms and the Cl atom of the anion. The S—N distance of 1.584 (3) Å is consistent with an S—N double bond. In the crystal, anions are connected by K+ cations into layers parallel to the ab plane. The water mol­ecules are coordinated to the K+ cations and are additionally linked by inter­molecular O—H⋯Cl and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonding

Potassium N-bromo-2-chloro­benzene­sulfonamidate sesquihydrate

In the structure of the title compound, K+·C6H4BrClNO2S−·1.5H2O, the K+ ion is hepta­coordinated by three O atoms from water mol­ecules and by four sulfonyl O atoms of N-bromo-2-chloro­benzene­sulfonamidate anions. The S—N distance of 1.582 (4) Å is consistent with an S=N double bond. The crystal structure is stabilized by inter­molecular O—H⋯Br and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. The asymmetric unit consits of one potassium cation, one N-bromo-2-chloro­benzene­sulfonamidate anion and one water mol­ecule in general positions and one water mol­ecule located on a twofold rotation axis

Sodium N-bromo-2-chloro­benzene­sulfonamidate sesquihydrate

In the title compound, Na+·C6H4BrClNO2S−·1.5H2O, one water mol­ecule has crystallographically imposed twofold symmetry. The Na+ cation shows a pseudo-octa­hedral coordination provided by three O atoms of water mol­ecules and three sulfonyl O atoms of different N-bromo-2-chloro­benzene­sulfonamidate anions. The S—N distance of 1.579 (6) Å is consistent with an S=N double-bond character. The crystal structure is stabilized by O—H⋯Br, O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

A retrospective study of acute kidney injury in dogs with renal resistive index as a prognostic indicator

Doppler ultrasonography is relatively a new method for evaluation of the renal diseases in dogs. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of renal resistive index (RRI) in diagnosis and prognosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in dogs and to ascertain its correlationwith other renal parameters. Twenty-seven dogs with AKI along with ten clinically healthy dogs were evaluated. The aetiology of AKI was multifactorial which included viper snake envenomation, pyometra, Babesiagibsoni infection, canine parvo viral infection, Ehrlichiacanis infection, leptospiral infection, bone meal poisoning and tetracycline-induced nephrotoxicity. Dogs with AKI were characterized into five gradesas per the guidelines provided by International Renal Interest Society.Parameters such asblood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, urine output, urine protein-creatinine (UPC) ratio and blood pressure were estimated. Both BUN and creatinine was significantly higher in affected dogs. Majority of the dogs with AKI were oliguric and had the presence of proteinuria, occult blood and leucocytes on urine dipstick examination. Urine Protein-Creatinine ratio was increased whereas no significant variation was noticed in blood pressure of dogs with AKI.B-mode ultrasonography of kidneys revealedrenomegaly, hyperechoic cortex, decreased cortico-medullary differentiation and loss of architecture in majority of the dogs with AKI. Renal resistive index was significantly increased inAKI and a positive correlation was established between RRI and serumcreatinine but not with UPC ratio, blood pressure and size of kidneys. Re-evaluation of RRIseven days post treatment showed considerablereduction. It wasconcludedthat an increase in RRIwas associated with severity of renal parenchymal injuryin AKI and reduction of RRI post-treatment indicated favorable prognosis