Dp-minimality: basic facts and examples

We study the notion of dp-minimality, beginning by providing several essential facts, establishing several equivalent definitions, and comparing dp-minimality to other minimality notions. The rest of the paper is dedicated to examples. We establish via a simple proof that any weakly o-minimal theory is dp-minimal and then give an example of a weakly o-minimal group not obtained by adding traces of externally definable sets. Next we give an example of a divisible ordered Abelian group which is dp-minimal and not weakly o-minimal. Finally we establish that the field of p-adic numbers is dp-minimal.Comment: 19 pages; simplified proof for the p-adic

Regulating health and safety and workers' compensation in Canada for the mobile workforce: Now you see them, now you don't.

Although much research has examined the occupational health and safety (OHS) and workers’ compensation (WC) implications of precarious employment and temporary international labor migration, little is known about the implications of diverse types of employment-related geographic mobility for regulatory effectiveness of OHS and WC. This article examines different types of extended mobility to determine regulatory effectiveness of OHS and WC protections. Based on classic legal analysis in seven Canadian jurisdictions, and interviews with key informants, we found that the invisibility of the internally mobile workforce, as well as the alternating visibility and invisibility of temporary foreign workers, contribute to reduced effectiveness of the OHS and WC regulation. Results point to the need for better protections to address working conditions, but also the hazards and challenges associated with mobility itself including getting to and from work, living at work, and maintaining work–life balance while living at the worksite

Effectiveness of an Interactive Website Aimed at Empowerment of Disability Benefit Claimants: Results of a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an interactive website aimed at empowerment of disability claimants, prior to the assessment of disability by an insurance physician. Methods A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Claimants applying for a work disability pension after being sick-listed for 104 weeks, were randomized into either an intervention group or control group. Participants who were randomized into the intervention group were able to logon to the website www.wiagesprek.nl, which mainly consisted of five interactive modules aimed at increasing knowledge, self-awareness, expectations, self-efficacy, and active participation. Participants from the control group were directed to a ‘sham’ website with commonly available information only. The primary outcome was empowerment. Secondary outcomes included coping, knowledge, claimant satisfaction, perceived justice, and physician satisfaction. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 2 days before the disability assessment, as well as 1 day after, 6 weeks, and 4 months after the disability assessment. Results Claimants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 123) or a control group (n = 119). The intervention had no significant short- and long-term effects on empowerment, but the intervention increased claimants’ knowledge significantly compared to the control group. Claimant satisfaction with the disability assessment interview and claimant perceived justice on the outcome of the assessment were lower in the intervention group (statistically not significant). Furthermore, the intervention had a significant negative effect on claimants perceived procedural justice. Conclusion Although knowledge increased significantly, the intervention www.wiagesprek.nl was not successful in reaching its primary target, that is, to increase levels of empowerment among disability claimants, prior to the assessment of disability

Finitely Axiomatizable ω-categorical Theories and the Mazoyer Hypothesis

Let F be the class of complete, finitely axiomatizable ω-categorical theories. It is not known whether there are simple theories in F. We prove three results of the form: if T ∈ F has a sufficently well-behaved definable set J, then T is not simple. (In one case, we actually prove that T has the strict order property.) All of our arguments assume that the definable set J satisfies the Mazoyer hypothesis, which controls how an element of J can be algebraic over a subset of the model. For every known example in F, there is a definable set satisfying the Mazoyer hypothesi

Representing miners in arrangements for safety and health in coal mining: a global study - Volume 1: A comparative analysis of findings from five countries

The research examined the history of representation on occupational health and safety (OSH) and the nature, operation and contexts of present-day arrangements for worker representation on OSH in coal mining in five countries with different economic profiles: Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia and South Africa. In each case, relevant statutory provisions concerning worker representation on OSH in coal mining provided the starting point for case study-based qualitative investigation of practice. The investigation explored participants’ experiences of the operation of the arrangements in each country and identified factors supporting or constraining them. Drawing together findings from each of these countries allowed some international comparisons to be made of the determinants of effective representative participation in OSH in coal mining globally. This enabled reflection on questions of transfer and sustainability in a global industry, what determines their effectiveness and therefore improves the effectiveness of representation generally on OSH, as well as the conditions necessary to support this. - Volume 1, A comparative analysis of findings from five countries. - Volume 2, Case studies in five countrie