Ethnocentrism and Internal Compensation Structuring: An Experimental Examination of Point Factor Job Evaluation

“Comparable Worth” represents the concept that men, women, minorities, and whites should receive equal pay for work of equal value from their employer. Much research and many articles have been written in regards to overall pay inequities between men and women; however information regarding internal compensation strategies and perceived labor pools (percentage of minority applicants) has not been explored in depth. A total of 381 individuals participated in an experimental study that manipulated perceived labor market composition in order to establish the relative impact of ethnocentrism on the evaluation of compensable factors and salary. Results strongly supported the authors’ hypotheses, indicating that (a) significant discriminatory weighing of compensable factors by the perceived ethnicity and gender of labor pools occurs, (b) individual participant demographics (ethnicity and gender) contribute significantly to discrimination between perceived labor pools, and (c) participant individual differences significantly contribute to discriminatory weighting. Implications and directions for future research are considered.Compensation; Ethnocentrism; Internal Structure; Point Factor; Labor Pool; Discrimination; Social; Bias

Ethnocentrism and Internal Compensation Structuring: An Experimental Examination of Point Factor Job Evaluation

“Comparable Worth” represents the concept that men, women, minorities, and whites should receive equal pay for work of equal value from their employer. Much research and many articles have been written in regards to overall pay inequities between men and women; however information regarding internal compensation strategies and perceived labor pools (percentage of minority applicants) has not been explored in depth. A total of 381 individuals participated in an experimental study that manipulated perceived labor market composition in order to establish the relative impact of ethnocentrism on the evaluation of compensable factors and salary. Results strongly supported the authors’ hypotheses, indicating that (a) significant discriminatory weighing of compensable factors by the perceived ethnicity and gender of labor pools occurs, (b) individual participant demographics (ethnicity and gender) contribute significantly to discrimination between perceived labor pools, and (c) participant individual differences significantly contribute to discriminatory weighting. Implications and directions for future research are considered

Ethnocentrism and Internal Compensation Structuring: An Experimental Examination of Point Factor Job Evaluation

“Comparable Worth” represents the concept that men, women, minorities, and whites should receive equal pay for work of equal value from their employer. Much research and many articles have been written in regards to overall pay inequities between men and women; however information regarding internal compensation strategies and perceived labor pools (percentage of minority applicants) has not been explored in depth. A total of 381 individuals participated in an experimental study that manipulated perceived labor market composition in order to establish the relative impact of ethnocentrism on the evaluation of compensable factors and salary. Results strongly supported the authors’ hypotheses, indicating that (a) significant discriminatory weighing of compensable factors by the perceived ethnicity and gender of labor pools occurs, (b) individual participant demographics (ethnicity and gender) contribute significantly to discrimination between perceived labor pools, and (c) participant individual differences significantly contribute to discriminatory weighting. Implications and directions for future research are considered

A prospective cohort study comparing the reactogenicity of trivalent influenza vaccine in pregnant and non-pregnant women

Background: Influenza vaccination during pregnancy can prevent serious illness in expectant mothers and provide protection to newborns; however, historically uptake has been limited due to a number of factors, including safety concerns. Symptomatic complaints are common during pregnancy and may be mistakenly associated with reactions to trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV). To investigate this, we compared post-vaccination events self-reported by pregnant women to events reported by non-pregnant women receiving TIV. Methods: A prospective cohort of 1,086 pregnant women and 314 non-pregnant female healthcare workers (HCWs) who received TIV between March-May 2014 were followed-up seven days post-vaccination to assess local and systemic adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs). Women were surveyed by text message regarding perceived reactions to TIV. Those reporting an AEFI completed an interview by telephone or mobile phone to ascertain details. Logistic regression models adjusting for age and residence were used to compare reactions reported by pregnant women and non-pregnant HCWs. Results: Similar proportions of pregnant women and non-pregnant, female HCWs reported ≥1 reaction following vaccination with TIV (13.0% and 17.3%, respectively; OR = 1.2 [95% CI: 0.8-1.8]). Non-pregnant, female HCWs were more likely to report fever or headache compared to pregnant women (OR: 4.6 [95% CI 2.1-10.3] and OR: 2.2 [95% CI 1.0-4.6], respectively). No other significant differences in reported symptoms were observed. No serious vaccine-associated adverse events were reported, and less than 2% of each group sought medical advice for a reaction. Conclusions: We found no evidence suggesting pregnant women are more likely to report adverse events following influenza vaccination when compared to non-pregnant female HCWs of similar age, and in some cases, pregnant women reported significantly fewer adverse events. These results further support the safety of TIV administered in pregnant women

Trends in seasonal influenza vaccine uptake during pregnancy in Western Australia: Implications for midwives

Background: Antenatal influenza vaccination is an important public health intervention for preventing serious illness in mothers and newborns, yet uptake remains low. Aim: To evaluate trends in seasonal influenza vaccine coverage and identify determinants for vaccination among pregnant women in Western Australia. Methods: We conducted an annual telephone survey in a random sample of post-partum women who delivered a baby in Western Australia between 2012 and 2014. Women were asked whether influenza vaccination was recommended and/or received during their most recent pregnancy; women were also asked why or why they were not immunised. Findings: Between 2012 and 2014, influenza vaccine coverage increased from 22.9% to 41.4%. Women who reported receiving the majority of their antenatal care from a private obstetrician were significantly more likely to have influenza vaccination recommended to them than those receiving the majority of their care from a public antenatal hospital or general practitioner (p \u3c 0.001). In 2014, the most common reason women reported for accepting influenza vaccination was to protect the baby (92.8%) and the most common reason for being unimmunised was lack of a healthcare provider recommendation (48.5%). Discussion: Antenatal influenza vaccination uptake is increasing, but coverage remains below 50%. A recommendation from the principal care provider is an important predictor of maternal influenza vaccination. Conclusion: Antenatal care providers, including midwives, have a key role in providing appropriate information and evidence-based recommendations to pregnant women to ensure they are making informed decisions. Consistent recommendations from antenatal care providers are critical to improving influenza vaccine coverage in pregnant women

Refined annotation and assembly of the Tetrahymena thermophila genome sequence through EST analysis, comparative genomic hybridization, and targeted gap closure

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Tetrahymena thermophila</it>, a widely studied model for cellular and molecular biology, is a binucleated single-celled organism with a germline micronucleus (MIC) and somatic macronucleus (MAC). The recent draft MAC genome assembly revealed low sequence repetitiveness, a result of the epigenetic removal of invasive DNA elements found only in the MIC genome. Such low repetitiveness makes complete closure of the MAC genome a feasible goal, which to achieve would require standard closure methods as well as removal of minor MIC contamination of the MAC genome assembly. Highly accurate preliminary annotation of <it>Tetrahymena</it>'s coding potential was hindered by the lack of both comparative genomic sequence information from close relatives and significant amounts of cDNA evidence, thus limiting the value of the genomic information and also leaving unanswered certain questions, such as the frequency of alternative splicing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We addressed the problem of MIC contamination using comparative genomic hybridization with purified MIC and MAC DNA probes against a whole genome oligonucleotide microarray, allowing the identification of 763 genome scaffolds likely to contain MIC-limited DNA sequences. We also employed standard genome closure methods to essentially finish over 60% of the MAC genome. For the improvement of annotation, we have sequenced and analyzed over 60,000 verified EST reads from a variety of cellular growth and development conditions. Using this EST evidence, a combination of automated and manual reannotation efforts led to updates that affect 16% of the current protein-coding gene models. By comparing EST abundance, many genes showing apparent differential expression between these conditions were identified. Rare instances of alternative splicing and uses of the non-standard amino acid selenocysteine were also identified.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We report here significant progress in genome closure and reannotation of <it>Tetrahymena thermophila</it>. Our experience to date suggests that complete closure of the MAC genome is attainable. Using the new EST evidence, automated and manual curation has resulted in substantial improvements to the over 24,000 gene models, which will be valuable to researchers studying this model organism as well as for comparative genomics purposes.</p

Surveillance of antenatal influenza vaccination: validity of current systems and recommendations for improvement

Abstract Background: Although influenza vaccination is recommended during pregnancy as standard of care, limited surveillance data are available for monitoring uptake. Our aim was to evaluate the validity of existing surveillance in Western Australia for measuring antenatal influenza immunisations. Methods: The self-reported vaccination status of 563 women who delivered between April and October 2013 was compared against three passive data collection sources: a state-wide antenatal influenza vaccination database maintained by the Department of Health, a public maternity hospital database, and a private health service database. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for each system using self-report as the “gold standard.” Results: The state-wide antenatal vaccination database detected 45.7 % (95 % CI: 40.1–51.4 %) of influenza vaccinations, the public maternity hospital database detected 66.7 % (95 % CI: 55.1–76.9 %), and the private health service database detected 29.1 % (95 % CI: 20.5–39.4 %). Specificity exceeded 90 % and positive predictive values exceeded 80 % for each system. Sensitivity was lowest for women whose antenatal care was provided by a private obstetrician. Conclusions: Existing resources for surveillance of antenatal influenza vaccinations detect 29–67 % of vaccinations. Considering the importance of influenza immunisation as a public health intervention, particularly in pregnant women, improvements to routine monitoring of influenza vaccination is warranted

The Adoption of Open Educational Resources by One Community College Math Department

The high cost of textbooks is of concern not only to college students but also to society as a whole. Open textbooks promise the same educational benefits as traditional textbooks; however, their efficacy remains largely untested. We report on one community college’s adoption of a collection of open resources across five different mathematics classes. During the 2012 fall semester, 2,043 students in five different courses used these open access resources. We present a comparison between the previous two years in terms of the number of students who withdrew from the courses and the number that completed the courses with a C grade or better. Our analysis suggests that while there was likely no change in these educational outcomes, students who have access to open access materials collectively saved a significant amount of money. Students and faculty were surveyed as to their perceptions of these materials and the results were generally favorable

It’s All About the Relationships”: Educators’ Rationales and Strategies for Building Connections with Students to Prevent Exclusionary School Discipline Outcomes

This qualitative study identified nonpunitive and nonexclusionary discipline strategies used in schools with low out-of-school suspension rates. Interviews and focus groups with 198 educators from 33 low-suspending schools in a large urban district were conducted to learn more about the approaches that were essential to their school’s success. Data were analyzed with inductive and deductive approaches to identify themes regarding efficacious approaches across schools. Relationship building was noted as a key strategy in reducing exclusionary discipline outcomes and racial disparities in out-of-school suspension. Specific relationship-building strategies and the rationales behind these practices are described, including home visits, greetings, morning meetings, advisory periods, increased adult visibility in and out of school, and positive contact with families