Hostile Environment Research Articles

Judge rules against employee's claim of hostile work environment

Title VII

Judge allows age discrimination claim to proceed

Hostile work environment

The effects of family support and smartphone-derived homestay on daily mood and depression among sexual and gender minority adolescents.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents are at elevated risk for depression. This risk is especially pronounced among adolescents whose home environment is unsupportive or nonaffirming, as these adolescents may face familial rejection due to their identity. Therefore, it is critical to better understand the mechanisms underlying this risk by probing temporally sensitive associations between negative mood and time spent in potentially hostile home environments. The current study included adolescents (N = 141; 43% SGM; 13-18 years old), oversampled for depression history, who completed clinical interviews assessing lifetime psychiatric history and depression severity as well as self-report measures of social support. Participants also installed an app on their personal smartphones, which assessed their daily mood and geolocation-determined mobility patterns over a 6-month follow-up period. Over the 6-month follow-up period, SGM adolescents reported elevated depression severity and lower daily mood relative to non-SGM youth. Interestingly, SGM adolescents who reported low family support experienced lower daily mood than non-SGM adolescents, particularly on days when they spent more time at home. Current findings reinforce evidence for disparities in depression severity among SGM adolescents and highlight family support as a key factor. Specifically, more time spent in home environments with low family support was associated with worse mood among SGM adolescents. These results underscore the need for clinical interventions to support SGM youth, particularly interventions that focus on familial relationships and social support within the home environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Can high performers take charge? The effects of role breadth self-efficacy and hostile interpersonal environment

This study develops a research model of how and when high performers bring about constructive changes at work. Drawing from the social cognitive theory of self-regulation, we examined the mediating effect of role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) on the relationship between task performance and taking charge. Moreover, we investigated the moderating effects of two forms of interpersonal hostility in the workplace (abusive supervision and group coworker undermining) on this mediated relationship. We conducted a field study and an experiment to test our theoretical model. Across both studies, the results showed that RBSE mediated the positive effect of task performance on taking charge. Group coworker undermining moderated the positive relationship between task performance and RBSE. The results also supported the moderated mediation effect of task performance on taking charge via RBSE contingent on group coworker undermining. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of managing high performers to initiate constructive changes.

Merge and strip: dark matter-free dwarf galaxies in clusters can be formed by galaxy mergers

Recent observations of galaxy mergers inside galaxy cluster environments, such as in the vicinity of report high star formation rates in the ejected tidal tails, which point towards currently developing tidal dwarf galaxies. This prompts the intriguing question whether these newly formed stellar structures could get stripped from the galaxy potential by the cluster and thus populate it with dwarf galaxies. We verify whether environmental stripping of tidal dwarf galaxies from galaxy mergers inside galaxy cluster environments is a possible evolutionary channel to populate a galaxy cluster with low-mass and low surface brightness galaxies. We performed three high-resolution hydrodynamical simulations of mergers between spiral galaxies in a cluster environment, implementing a stellar mass ratio of 2:1 with $M_ for the more massive galaxy. Between the three different simulations, we varied the initial orbit of the infalling galaxies with respect to the cluster center. We demonstrate that cluster environments are capable of stripping tidal dwarf galaxies from the host potential independently of the infall orbit of the merging galaxy pair, without instantly destroying the tidal dwarfs. Starting to evolve separately from their progenitor, these newly formed dwarf galaxies reach total masses of $M_ tot within the limits of our resolution. In the three tested orbit scenarios, we find three, seven, and eight tidal dwarf galaxies per merger, respectively, which survive longer than year after the merger event. Exposed to ram pressure, these gas dominated dwarf galaxies exhibit high star formation rates while also losing gas to the environment. Experiencing a strong headwind due to their motion through the intracluster medium, they quickly lose momentum and start spiraling towards the cluster center, reaching distances on the order of parsec from their progenitor. About year after the merger event, we still find three and four intact dwarf galaxies in two of the tested scenarios, respectively. The other stripped tidal dwarf galaxies either evaporate in the hostile cluster environment due to their low initial mass, or are disrupted as soon as they reach the cluster center. The dwarf production rate due to galaxy mergers is elevated when the interaction with a cluster environment is taken into account. Comparing their contribution to the observed galaxy mass function in clusters, our results indicate that sim 30<!PCT!> of dwarf galaxies in clusters could have been formed by stripping from galaxy mergers.

Layer-by-layer coated probiotics with chitosan and liposomes exhibit enhanced therapeutic effects for DSS-induced colitis in mice

Probiotic therapy has emerged as a promising approach for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, offering advantages in terms of safety and convenience. However, oral probiotics encounter significant challenges, including exposure to a hostile gastric environment with low pH, bile salts, elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and damage to the protective mucus layer. These factors reduce probiotic survival rates and limit their physiological activity. To address these challenges, we developed a layer-by-layer coated probiotics with curcumin-loaded liposome and polymer. Through DSS-induced colitis mice experiments, we demonstrated that the coated probiotics exhibited an improved survival rate in the gastrointestinal tract and enhanced adhesion to the intestinal mucosa. Furthermore, multi-layered coated probiotics exhibited remarkable efficacy in alleviating colitis by efficiently repairing the gut barrier, modulating gut microbial homeostasis, and reducing bacterial motility at sites of colonic inflammation. Our innovative approach holds promise for effectively treating gastrointestinal diseases.

Role of Social Media Platforms in the Spread of Fake News in Nyeri County, Kenya

Fake news is widespread in elections, especially during presidential elections. It has the potential to divide public opinion and create a hostile environment in which people feel their voices aren't being heard. The current study aimed to explore the role of social media platforms in the spread of fake news in Nyeri County. The study is anchored in agenda-setting theory. A mixed-methods approach is used. The population comprised adults in Nyeri County, registered journalists, bloggers, and social media experts, as well as politicians in the county. A sample of 195 respondents was calculated using the modified formulas by Fisher. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Quantitative analysis consisted of frequencies and percentages using Microsoft Excel. The qualitative data collected was analyzed using content analysis with the help of NVIVO software. The results of quantitative analysis were presented in the form of tables and figures, while those of qualitative data analysis were presented using narration. The study found that social media was the main source of fake news. Facebook and Twitter had the highest prevalence of fake news, with 87% and 72% of the respondents indicating that they witnessed fake news on the apps, respectively. The study therefore concluded that social media was the biggest source of fake news in Nyeri County. The study recommended that social media companies, especially Facebook and Twitter, should take more responsibility by implementing laws to protect against the spread of fake news. This can include flagging fake news and implementing tough penalties for users spreading propaganda on the internet.

Physician engagement in reproductive health advocacy: findings from a mixed methods evaluation of a leadership and advocacy program

BackgroundMedical curricula include advocacy competencies, but how much physicians engage in advocacy and what enables this engagement is not well characterized. The authors assessed facilitators and barriers to advocacy identified by physician alumni of a reproductive health advocacy training program.MethodsThe authors present secondary results from a mixed methods program evaluation from 2018 to 2020, using alumni data from a cross-sectional survey (n = 231) and in-depth interviews (IDIs, n = 36). The survey measured engagement in policy, media, professional organization, and medical education advocacy and the value placed on the community fostered by the program (eight questions, Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81). The authors estimated the association of community value score with advocacy engagement using multivariable Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios and analyzed IDI data inductively.ResultsOver one third of alumni were highly engaged in legislative policy (n = 90, 39%), professional organizations (n = 98, 42%), or medical education (n = 89, 39%), with fewer highly active in media-based advocacy (n = 54, 23%) in the year prior to the survey. Survey and IDI data demonstrated that passion, sense of urgency, confidence in skills, and the program’s emphasis on different forms of advocacy facilitated engagement in advocacy, while insufficient time, safety concerns, and sense of effort redundancies were barriers. The program community was also an important facilitator, especially for “out loud” efforts and for those working in environments perceived as hostile to abortion care (e.g., alumni in hostile environments with high community value scores were 1.8 times [95% CI 1.3, 2.6] as likely to report medium/high levels of media advocacy compared to those with low scores after adjusting for age, gender, and clinical specialty).ConclusionPhysician advocacy training curricula should include both skills- and community-building and identify a full range of forms of advocacy. Community-building is especially important for physician advocacy for reproductive health services such as abortion care.

In Case You Haven't Heard…

Yet another official charged with misconduct has blamed it on alcohol use disorder. The former prosecutor for Hocking County, Ohio, resigned this month after a complaint was filed against him for creating a hostile work environment, commenting on female clothing in a sexual manner, sending unsolicited photos of himself to a female subordinate, and having a sexual relationship with the county commissioner whom he would be representing as the county's prosecutor. Ryan Black, 41, responded to the complaint, which was filed with the board that oversees the discipline of attorneys in the state through his attorney, Alvin Mathews, last week, saying that he “suffered from a mental health disorder and an alcohol use disorder,” adding that he is “seeking ongoing treatment.” The disorders “contributed to cause any conduct for which (Black) is responsible,” the response said, according to an April 23 article in the Columbus Dispatch. Potential discipline by a panel consisting of three attorneys or judges who do not reside in the area where Black practices law could involve the suspension of his law license or disbarment. First of all, ADAW hopes he gets the help he said he needs. But it's too bad he didn't get it before he got into trouble. It should be much easier for public officials to get that kind of help before they destroy their careers.

Sensorless Speed Estimation of Induction Motors through Signal Analysis Based on Chaos Using Density of Maxima

Three-phase induction motors are widely used in various industrial sectors and are responsible for a significant portion of the total electrical energy consumed. To ensure their efficient operation, it is necessary to apply control systems with specific algorithms able to estimate rotation speed accurately and with an adequate response time. However, the angular speed sensors used in induction motors are generally expensive and unreliable, and they may be unsuitable for use in hostile environments. This paper presents an algorithm for speed estimation in three-phase induction motors using the chaotic variable of maximum density. The technique used in this work analyzes the current signals from the motor power supply without invasive sensors on its structure. The results show that speed estimation is achieved with a response time lower than that obtained by classical techniques based on the Fourier Transform. This technique allows for the provision of motor shaft speed values when operated under variable load.

Effect of water immersion on shear strength of epoxy adhesive filled with graphene nanoplatelets

Abstract Adhesive bonds are frequently used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and civil engineering due to their ability to reduce damage to the adherend and their lightweight. However, their application is restricted by their inadequate durability and reliability in hostile environments. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) are employed to enhance epoxy adhesives in this article. The thick adherend shear test is utilized to examine how the shear properties change with different water ageing times. Before exposure to water ageing conditions, GNP-reinforced adhesives exhibit a 3.51% increase compared with neat epoxy at a GNP content of 0.25 wt%. However, after 56 days of water ageing, the increase in shear strength is found to be 13.79%. This suggests that the well-dispersed GNP can reduce the degradation rate in shear properties by half, from 16.71 to 8.44%, at a GNP content of 0.25 wt%. Additionally, as water ageing time increases, the positive influence of GNP on shear properties becomes more evident. The addition of GNP delays the degradation of shear properties caused by water ageing conditions. The effect of GNP does not improve with higher GNP content. When the GNP contents increase to 1 wt%, the shear strength of the GNP-reinforced adhesive decreases compared to neat epoxy.

The dromedary in Algeria: An evolution at times of multifunctionality

In Algeria, camels are one of the greatest resources and reservoirs of the Saharan territory. Despite a past that testifies to their predominant role in a hostile environment, this species has been comparatively obscured by the prominence of other livestock. Their legendary sobriety makes them the emblematic animal of merchant caravans, renowned for their versatility. Currently, peri-urban farms have developed on the outskirts of Saharan cities, and their commercial purpose cannot overshadow other values associated with dromedaries. Indeed, the growth in camel populations has been accompanied by an evolution in livestock systems. The significant increase in demand for camel products, revealed by the socio-economic changes within nomadic communities, has contributed to modifying breeding practices and logics, which in turn have affected the various camel functions. In other words, this represents a dimension of renewal through the developed products and services provided, which prove to be valuable assets. It is in this perspective that this contribution is situated, offering a synthesis that attempts to highlight the scope of camel farming in the Algerian Sahara. The objective of this study is to show the importance of the dromedary concerning its polyfunctionality through the products it supplies and the services it provides.

Dynamic Hybrid Module-Driven NK Cell Stimulation and Release for Tumor Immunotherapy.

Natural killer (NK) cells have become a powerful candidate for adoptive tumor immunotherapy, while their therapeutic efficacy in solid tumors remains unsatisfactory. Here, we developed a hybrid module with an injectable hydrogel and hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanobelts for the controlled delivery of NK cells to enhance the therapy of solid tumors. Surface-functionalized HAp nanobelts modified with agonistic antibodies against NKG2D and 4-1BB and cytokines IL-2 and IL-21 support survival and dynamic activation. Thus, the HAp-modified chitosan (CS) thermos-sensitive hydrogel not only improved the retention of NK cells for more than 20 days in vivo but also increased NK cell function by more than one-fold. The unique architecture of this biomaterial complex protects NK cells from the hostile tumor environment and improves antitumor efficacy. The generation of a transient inflammatory niche for NK cells through a biocompatible hydrogel reservoir may be a conversion pathway to prevent cancer recurrence of resectable tumors.

Prominent transcriptomic changes in Mycobacterium intracellulare under acidic and oxidative stress.

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), including Mycobacterium intracellulare is a member of slow-growing mycobacteria and contributes to a substantial proportion of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease in humans affecting immunocompromised and elderly populations. Adaptation of pathogens in hostile environments is crucial in establishing infection and persistence within the host. However, the sophisticated cellular and molecular mechanisms of stress response in M. intracellulare still need to be fully explored. We aimed to elucidate the transcriptional response of M. intracellulare under acidic and oxidative stress conditions. At the transcriptome level, 80 genes were shown [FC] ≥ 2.0 and p < 0.05 under oxidative stress with 10mM hydrogen peroxide. Specifically, 77 genes were upregulated, while 3 genes were downregulated. In functional analysis, oxidative stress conditions activate DNA replication, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair, homologous recombination, and tuberculosis pathways. Additionally, our results demonstrate that DNA replication and repair system genes, such as dnaB, dinG, urvB, uvrD2, and recA, are indispensable for resistance to oxidative stress. On the contrary, 878 genes were shown [FC] ≥ 2.0 and p < 0.05 under acidic stress with pH 4.5. Among these genes, 339 were upregulated, while 539 were downregulated. Functional analysis highlighted nitrogen and sulfur metabolism pathways as the primary responses to acidic stress. Our findings provide evidence of the critical role played by nitrogen and sulfur metabolism genes in the response to acidic stress, including narGHIJ, nirBD, narU, narK3, cysND, cysC, cysH, ferredoxin 1 and 2, and formate dehydrogenase. Our results suggest the activation of several pathways potentially critical for the survival of M. intracellulare under a hostile microenvironment within the host. This study indicates the importance of stress responses in M. intracellulare infection and identifies promising therapeutic targets.

"I will just have to keep driving": A Mixed-methods Investigation of Lack of Agency within the Thai Motorcycle Rideshare Driver Community

This paper presents a mixed-methods study of app-based motorcycle taxis in Thailand to explore the social dynamics of rideshare drivers and their exercised autonomy both through social pressure and a hostile work environment. As motorcycle taxis are open-air vehicles, drivers can be exposed to prolonged air pollution and other weather events, potentially impacting their health. In an initial quantitative study of server-side rideshare logs, we unexpectedly found that drivers do not exercise the autonomy provided by their rideshare platform to avoid air pollution events. This prompted a follow-on investigation through semi-structured interviews of both drivers and passengers in three provinces to explore why these drivers fail to experience the autonomy promised by gig-work in this context and elucidated further examples this lack of autonomy experienced by drivers. Our study sheds light on the social context that may constrain a driver's agency, including financial pressures, weather conditions, conflicts with local taxi organizations, and a false perception that drivers need to work around the ride assignment algorithm to avoid being blacklisted. We find that when leveraging app-based rideshare opportunities, drivers simultaneously perceive increased flexibility in their work hours and a lack of agency to prioritize their health and safety. We conclude with a discussion on potential interventions aimed at mitigating the forces preventing drivers from exercising their autonomy.

Giant nanomechanical energy storage capacity in twisted single-walled carbon nanotube ropes

AbstractA sustainable society requires high-energy storage devices characterized by lightness, compactness, a long life and superior safety, surpassing current battery and supercapacitor technologies. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), which typically exhibit great toughness, have emerged as promising candidates for innovative energy storage solutions. Here we produced SWCNT ropes wrapped in thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers, and demonstrated experimentally that a twisted rope composed of these SWCNTs possesses the remarkable ability to reversibly store nanomechanical energy. Notably, the gravimetric energy density of these twisted ropes reaches up to 2.1 MJ kg−1, exceeding the energy storage capacity of mechanical steel springs by over four orders of magnitude and surpassing advanced lithium-ion batteries by a factor of three. In contrast to chemical and electrochemical energy carriers, the nanomechanical energy stored in a twisted SWCNT rope is safe even in hostile environments. This energy does not deplete over time and is accessible at temperatures ranging from −60 to +100 °C.

Microbial communities of acidic post-mining environments and their use in laterite bioreduction

The biogeochemistry of post-mining areas is important because of their impact on the environment and the possibility of remediating such areas. Such a hostile environment is also a source of acidophilic microorganisms that can dissolve minerals that might be applied in the extractive metallurgy of low-grade oxide ores. Therefore, the study used autochthonic microorganisms isolated from water and sediment samples taken from places affected by acid mine drainage. The acidophiles were isolated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Genomic analysis revealed low prokaryotic diversity. The genera with a relative abundance greater than 1% were Acidithiobacillus (39.8-84.2%), Ferrimicrobium (26.4-34.4%), Acidiphilium (8.31-28.8%), and Leptospirillum (9.6-32.1%). Aerobic bacteria were adapted to reduce iron(III) under a nitrogen atmosphere and the presence of elemental sulfur as an electron donor. It was shown that increasing the amount of sulfur (1-5 g) had little effect on the process kinetics. In anaerobic bottom sediments, Sulfobacillus (45.7%) and Acidisphaera (32.7%) predominated. Microorganisms showed the fastest reduction activity when glycerol was used as an electron donor. Four weeks of anaerobic-controlled bioreduction of laterites yielded nickel and magnesium at 33.3% and 77.3%, respectively, which could have potential applications in the processing of laterites.

Recently Updated Role of Chitinase 3-like 1 on Various Cell Types as a Major Influencer of Chronic Inflammation.

Chitinase 3-like 1 (also known as CHI3L1 or YKL-40) is a mammalian chitinase that has no enzymatic activity, but has the ability to bind to chitin, the polymer of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Chitin is a component of fungi, crustaceans, arthropods including insects and mites, and parasites, but it is completely absent from mammals, including humans and mice. In general, chitin-containing organisms produce mammalian chitinases, such as CHI3L1, to protect the body from exogenous pathogens as well as hostile environments, and it was thought that it had a similar effect in mammals. However, recent studies have revealed that CHI3L1 plays a pathophysiological role by inducing anti-apoptotic activity in epithelial cells and macrophages. Under chronic inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, many groups already confirmed that the expression of CHI3L1 is significantly induced on the apical side of epithelial cells, and activates many downstream pathways involved in inflammation and carcinogenesis. In this review article, we summarize the expression of CHI3L1 under chronic inflammatory conditions in various disorders and discuss the potential roles of CHI3L1 in those disorders on various cell types.

Providing peer support on a men’s mental health ward: a service user narrative

Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe peer support work in a men’s mental health unit from a lived experience and service user’s perspective. The intertwining of process (a lived experience perspective) and subject (the therapeutic value of peer support) leads to greater knowledge and insight into peer support for people with mental health problems. Design/methodology/approach This service user narrative draws on the extracts from a reflective journal of interactions and conversations with people with mental health problems as well as feedback from service users and staff about the value of peer support. These methods allow a first-person, service user’s, reflective and narrative account of peer support work. Findings Peer support work, particularly hearing voices sessions, are found to be highly therapeutic and worthwhile. They promote insight and create feelings of safety and hope in what can sometimes be a frightening and hostile ward environment. Peer support provides emotional and practical support. Sharing stories and experiences of mental illness with people leads to trust, feelings of being valued, heard and accepted as well as better experiences of care and being seen as a person first. Due to their shared experiences, peer support workers are able to befriend people with mental health problems on the ward. Peer support work bridges the gap and vacuum of care between people with mental health problems and staff. It compensates for understaffing to provide more holistic and person-centred care and support. Originality/value Lived experience/ service user perspectives and narratives on peer support are rare, particularly in a hospital setting. This article provides a rich, perhaps overlooked and hidden narrative on the nature of peer support work. People with mental health problems, like Ben, are often excluded from society, health and social care, education, employment and research. This narrative opens up a pathway to understanding peer support from a service user perspective.

Europeanization as Pragmatic Politics: Italy’s Civil Society Actors Operating in the Face of Right-Wing Populism

This article examines how and under what conditions Italy’s civil society organizations (CSOs) have resorted to transnational activism and to what extent these efforts translate into impactful political advocacy. The analysis focuses on the action strategies of these civil society actors that have come under considerable pressure through the resurgence of populist–nationalist actors in the domestic arena. Developing an actor-centred perspective from below, this article draws on a series of 27 interviews conducted with these organizations’ representatives working primarily on issues related to migration and refugees in Italy. The empirical study examines some key initiatives that see domestic CSOs as protagonists in the transnational realm and explicates their motivations, approaches, and experiences. Conceptually, the article distinguishes between the vertical and horizontal Europeanization of CSOs. While there are notable opportunities for CSOs to engage in Brussels-centred governance and policy making, the effectiveness of horizontal Europeanization in the form of cross-border networking is—at first sight paradoxically—limited by the EU’s system of multi-level governance. The central argument about Europeanizing civil society activism is that these processes are primarily driven by a pragmatic pursuit of solutions to concrete political challenges that could not be properly addressed in an increasingly hostile domestic environment.