Impact Of Occupation Research Articles

The Occupational Impact of Mass Shootings: A Qualitative Study of Survivor Accounts

Background: As mass shootings continue to persist in the United States, their occupational impact on victims needs further understanding. The purpose of this study was to examine stories shared by survivors of mass shootings to determine whether changes in occupational participation, performance, and fulfillment of meaningful roles and performance patterns occurred following the incident.

Occupational Balance Improves Subjective Health and Quality of Life Family with Mental Health Disorders

Background: Occupational Balance (OB) is an important determinant of subjective health and quality of life. This study aimed to examine occupational balance's impact on subjective health and quality of life in families with schizophrenia.
 Methods: We examined data from 60 adults over the age of 45.
 Results: Although the effect size was small to medium, OB was identified as an important factor. Independent variables influence subjective health while quality of life variables in the final model, either directly or indirectly.
 Conclusions: Our findings indicate that promoting better occupational balance can improve subjective health and quality of life. Further research in developing intervention programs based on occupational balance is needed to confirm the feasibility of the intervention and its effects on subjective health and quality of life of family members with schizophrenia.

Where do you live and what do you do? Two questions that might impact your kidney health.

In many cases the social determinants of health need to be assessed through their interaction with environmental factors. This review looks at the impact of physical location and occupation of individuals on their kidney health. It examines the effect of living at high altitude on kidney function and the relationship between extreme cold or hot temperatures and the incidence of kidney injury. It reviews as well the many occupations that have been linked to kidney disease in high-income and low-and-middle-income countries. As a conclusion, this overview proposes preventive recommendations that could be individualized based on weather, altitude, socio-economic level of the country and occupation of the individual.

Ukraine’s 2019 Elections: Pro-Russian Parties and The Impact of Occupation

The annexation of Crimea and occupation of parts of Donbas removed from Ukraine’s electorate 3.5 million voters that had previously voted heavily for pro-Russian parties. Examining the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections, this article asks two questions: how might the results of the election have been different had voters in occupied Donbas been able to vote? Do 2019 voting patterns support the thesis that the Ukrainian electorate had significantly changed its values in the period 2014–2019 or had long-standing cleavages endured? Voter alignments identified before 2014 persisted, with important implications for Russia’s efforts to win influence in Ukraine. The weakening of pro-Russian parties caused by Russia’s invasion in 2014 helped create the conditions in which Russia could not achieve its goals without an all-out invasion.

Pathways to successful building green retrofit projects: Causality analysis of factors affecting decision making

Building green retrofit is an effective means of energy-saving and achieving sustainable development goals. The success of a building retrofit is highly dependent on the decision-making of retrofit strategy selection, and its process is affected by multi-dimensional factors. The importance of interdependent relationship between each factor is emphasized, however existing quantitative models are difficult to reflect building green retrofit in practice. To address this problem, the interdependent relationships among occupant impact, environmental impact, institutional characteristics, economic feasibility, technical practicality and government conditions of 52 completed green retrofit projects in China were analyzed by fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) combining Causal-Loop Diagram (CLD) method. Four distinct pathways in achieving successful building green retrofit projects were identified. The CLD highlighted the role of government and the contradiction between economic feasibility loop and environmental impact loop. The findings can help decision-makers examine the relevant factors and choose appropriate retrofit strategies according to the project priority. Based on previous frameworks, the accuracy and applicability of the factors are promoted in this study. Moreover, the improved theoretical framework can be adopted to worldwide green retrofit projects.

Revalorization of Australian royal palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) waste as reinforcement in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) for use in 3D printing pen

This study assesses the potential revaluation of solid waste from palm residues for use as reinforcement in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) matrix to develop a composite filament that is more environmentally friendly. Filaments were processed using a thermokinetic mixer and then processed by a mini extruder using different fiber loadings (5, 10, 15, and 20% wt.). The effect of the fiber contents on the morphological, chemical, and thermal properties was evaluated, and environmental analysis was performed using the life cycle assessment. For a concept-proof, the materials were printed using a 3D printing pen. Pristine ABS presented no porosity, while filament composites showed a porous structure due to fiber presence and higher fiber loading induced pores with a diameter smaller than 50 μm. ABS and filament composites presented similar FTIR spectra; however, the hydrogen-bonding coefficient indicated a better fiber-matrix interaction for the ABS/15%Palm composition, increasing 42% compared to ABS. Filament's composites presented a slight decrease in thermal stability, which does not compromise its processing temperature, while the Tg presented similar values to pristine ABS. The life cycle assessment demonstrated beneficial environmental gains with fiber inclusion, especially for agricultural land occupation and ozone depletion impact categories. The filaments were successfully printed using a 3D printing pen showing the viability of using the developed filaments, and new applications may be promoted. Thus, the revalorization of palm fibers in the ABS matrix presents a low-cost alternative for filaments production and may expand 3D printing applications with more sustainable materials that could enable new applications in the additive manufacturing area.

Industry-driven mitigation measures can reduce GHG emissions of palm oil

Tropical peatland stores a large amount of carbon. In the last 20 years, drainage of Asian peat soil has increased to satisfy the demand of land for plantation agricultures. Industrial oil palm plantations occupy large areas of peatland in Indonesia and Malaysia, with associated GHG emissions and biodiversity loss, here referred to as nature occupation impact. This study performs a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of 1 kg of palm oil for two case studies: PT SMART's Hanau and Sungai Rungau facilities in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The objective is to quantify the reduction in GHG emissions and nature occupation that has been achieved by implementing the following industry-driven measures: reducing the area of cultivated peat soil, reducing the peat drainage depth, and setting aside part of the land-bank for nature conservation. The results show that 1 kg of palm oil causes 2.72 and 2.25 kg CO 2 -eq./kg palm oil from Hanau and Sungai Rungau facilities respectively. These are 20%–34% lower than average RSPO certified palm oil and 49%–58% lower than average non-certified palm oil. Sungai Rungau achieves the reduction mainly due to a completely peat soil-free supply base. Hanau's peat emissions are instead 0.28 kg, compared to the 0.77 and 2.36 kg CO 2 -eq for RSPO certified and non-certified palm oil respectively, due to a very low drainage depth (18–25 cm compared to 57–73 cm in average of RSPO certified and non-certified respectively) and an overall lower share of oil palms on peat land. The impact on nature occupation is 24%–43% lower in Hanau and Sungai Rungau compared to non-certified oil and 4%–29% lower compared to RPSO certified respectively. About 8% of the total land bank of the Hanau supply-base has been set aside for nature conservation, reducing GHG emissions by 2% and nature occupation by 9%. Both Hanau and Sungai Rungau could also significantly reduce GHG emissions in the palm oil milling stage, by implementing biogas capture in palm oil mill effluent (POME) treatment. • Avoiding the cultivation of peat soil reduces the GHG emissions of palm oil production. • When oil palms are on peat soil, reducing the peat drainage depth reduces the GHG emissions. • Nature conservation initiatives reduce GHG emissions and nature occupation of palm oil production. • Capturing the biogas produced in palm oil mill effluents (POME) treatment reduces GHG emissions. • Using the captured biogas in boiler or biogas engine further abates the GHG emissions of palm oil.

Female career interruption and social integration: An interaction between human capital and new media use.

Promoting the social integration of various groups provides a significant guarantee for China to achieve high-quality development. However, female workers, as the main force of the service industry, had suffered a greater occupational impact due to COVID-19 and loosened China’s fertility policy in 2021. After female career interruption, the change in women’s social roles and networks has aroused concern about their social integration. However, limited attention had been paid to female career interruption in existing studies about social integration. Therefore, this study developed a theoretical model to explore the relationship between female career interruption and social integration. An empirical test using data from the fourth Chinese Women’s Social Status Survey of Hainan Province was applied to evaluate the hypotheses. The results indicate that there is a significantly negative correlation between female career interruption and social integration. And there is a difference among female career interrupters with different quantiles of social integration. Furthermore, the impact of human capital on the link between female career interruption and social integration depended on the type of new media use. When female career interrupters who use strong learning-oriented new media (such as learning about news, working/business, studying online, and investing/financial management) encounter human capital, the relationship between female career interruption and social integration is minimal. In contrast, this relationship is enhanced when female career interrupters who use strong amusing-oriented new media (such as online consumption, chatting, entertainment, and games) are confronted with human capital. Meanwhile, the results of quantile regression show that the secondary moderating effect of learning-oriented new media use gradually weakens with the rise of the quantile of female social integration. And so does amusing-oriented new media use. However, a moderating effect of human capital alone is not found.

The Extent of Occupational Health Hazard Impact on Workers: Documentary Evidence from National Occupational Disease Statistics and Selected South African Companies’ Voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures

This paper explores the potential of Corporate Social Responsibility disclosures in providing alternative information on the extent of occupational health hazard impact on workers, by selected South African companies operating within the manufacturing and utilities sectors amidst an absent national occupational disease surveillance system. An online internet search was used to retrieve publicly available national occupational disease statistics published between 2001 and 2020, and Corporate Social Responsibility reports of selected South African case companies, published between 2015 and 2020. Content analysis was used to analyse the retrieved documents for both descriptive and numeric data. The collection and reporting of occupational disease data in South Africa is inconsistent. Corporate Social Responsibility disclosures related to occupational health metrics vary between companies. Occupational disease incidence was the least reported of the social aspects in Corporate Social Responsibility disclosures, and/or were reported as a single statistic or combined into occupational safety incidence rates in some instances, obfuscating the true extent of the impact caused by occupational health hazards on workers. Furthermore, noise-induced hearing loss remains the most prevalently reported occupational disease, in general. Corporate Social Responsibility reports point to occupational health hazards requiring regulatory intervention, whilst also providing an alternative information source for occupational disease statistics.

A Research Study on Investment Decision Influences of Academic Millennials Investors: Baroda City

Individual investors‟ keeping in mind the objective of maximizing return and minimizing risk, do adopt different strategies in this portfolio investment building. Some decisions are individual centric and some are in keeping parity with the socio-economic and other national and international parameters. Main aim is to know the impact of investment decision influencer on occupation, Income level and gender of investors. Secondly, to know the impact of Income level of investors on Choice of Various investment decision influencer. Also to know the impact of Occupation in investment tenure. For this research, researcher used SPSS for data analysis. Framed hypothesis solved by using ANOVA. From the research researcher found that there is strong relationship between investment decision influencer with gender, occupation of investors and income level.

Comparison of Vehicle-Based Crash Severity Metrics for Predicting Occupant Injury in Real-World Oblique Crashes

The flail space model (FSM) is currently used in U.S. roadside hardware crash testing as a means of assessing occupant injury risk using observed vehicle kinematics data. European roadside hardware crash tests use an FSM variant along with a variant of the acceleration severity index (ASI). Although the FSM and ASI are currently used in roadside hardware testing, other vehicle-based crash severity metrics exist. Previous research has focused on examining the ability of these metrics to predict injury in frontal crashes. Despite the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware prescribing a significant number of oblique crash tests, there has been little research on how well these metrics predict real-world oblique crash injury. This study compared the ability of six different vehicle-based metrics to predict occupant injury in oblique crashes: maximum delta-v, occupant impact velocity, ridedown acceleration, ASI, occupant load criterion, and vehicle pulse index. The crash severity metrics were calculated from real-world crash pulse data recorded by event data recorders. Oblique crashes from the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System were used to train logistic regression models that predict moderate to fatal injuries. The models were then compared on a dataset of oblique crashes from the Crash Investigation Sampling System. The results of this study confirmed that vehicle-based metrics provide a reasonable means of predicting real-world occupant injury risk in oblique crashes and suggest little difference between the investigated metrics. In addition to the vehicle-based metrics, belt use and vehicle damage location were found to influence injury risk.

Hearing Impairment in French Merchant Seafarers: Retrospective Study on Data from 8308 Audiometric Tests.

Background: A high level of occupational noise exposure has been noted in the fishing sector. Yet, less is known regarding other navigation groups, such as merchant seafarers, since a French study in the 1980s. This study assesses hearing impairment (HI) in a French merchant seafarers’ population. Methods: We collected data of all audiograms performed in 2018 and 2019 for French merchant seafarers. For each seafarer, hearing ability was measured in both ears using pure-tone audiometry at the following frequencies: 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz. Hearing threshold levels (HTLs), or the intensity of sound below which no sound is detected, were measured in decibels Sound Pressure Level (dB SPL) at each frequency and recorded in 5 dB increments. For HI, we used the validated definition of the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA). Results: We were able to include statistical analysis results of 8308 audiograms. In a multiple logistic regression adjusted for age, experience, and class of navigation, we found that experience of more than 14 years Odds Ratio OR 1.28 (CI 95% 1.07–1.53), age 31–40 OR 2.2 (CI 95% 1.4–3.4), and >40 years OR 14, 3 (IC 95% 9.7–21) and marine engineers OR 1.26 (IC 95% 1.01–1.57) were still risk factors for HI. Conclusion: In 2018, Marine engineers were still the workers’ group with a higher risk of HI in merchant seafarers but, notch at 4 Hz, specific of noise-induced hearing loss, has improved. They have an HI close to the definition of socioacousis and mean deficit differences with deck and services’ merchant seafarers improved. Our results could be interpreted as a limitation of occupational noise exposure impact in a merchant seafarers’ population, needing an improvement in prevention measures and also encouraged to continue to improve onboard working conditions.

Social and Occupational Impact of Coal Mining in Dhanbad (Jharkhand) India - A Case Study

The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of mining activities on occupational and social changes in coal mining area of district Dhanbad (Jharkhand). The area affected by mining activities called beneficiaries is compared with the area having no effect from mining activities called non-beneficiaries. Five villages were selected from each area. With the help of a random sampling method, 24 respondents from each village were drawn. Data were analyzed by using two-point scales (dichotomous scale) along with percentages associated with the 'Yes’ response and the all sample tested by the ‘Z’ test. The traditional structure of rural communities in this area was also reduced. Caste hierarchy and dominance were replaced by professional hierarchy and dominance. Due to mining, the people are more educated and aware to make themselves economically strong. It was found that the level of aspiration of villagers had increased as a result of mining. The study will be a valuable addition to the field of social science and policymaker to enhance the coping capacity related to the impacts of coal mining on socio-economic life. This study helpful for researcher/planner to gives a perception regarding the issues of livelihood and social structure of the Dhanbad Coal Field. This study is more inspiring for future research.

Occupational Impact on The Respiratory Health & Function of Women, Working in The Glass Bangle Industry

The International Labor Organization (ILO), “reiterate every year the concern of ever-increasing burden of occupational illnesses, especially among less empowered population in less developed countries such as Pakistan. One such industry is the bangle industry wherein women work in poor conditions and are exposed to various heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, cadmium, and selenium (used as coloring agents), putting their health at risk. Objective: To determine the respiratory health and function of women, working in the bangle industry. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study included a sample of 100 women, (selected using snowball sampling) working in the bangle industry in Southern Pakistan. The women were approached, and their respiratory function and oxygen saturation gauged using appropriate apparatus. The data was analyzed using SPSS. V. 21.0. Results: The mean values of various spirometric variables (FVC, FEV1, IMBC, and PEFR) were within normal range. However, FEV1/FVC% was reduced significantly (p < 0.001) among the study participants. Additionally, a high prevalence (26%) of respiratory impairment was noted. The respiratory impairment observed indicated primarily restrictive pattern of pulmonary abnormality (18%). The effect of the duration of exposure on the prevalence of respiratory impairment in the glass bangle industry was significant” (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Women employed in the glass bangle industry have poor respiratory health and continue to suffer from increasingly high levels of respiratory impairment.

Occupant density impact on building maintenance: Data-driven approach for university buildings

Building maintenance needs in public buildings depend on occupant activities and presence. Research should understand how different types of occupant density patterns can be used to forecast the likelihood of specific kinds of maintenance requests. This research adopts a data-driven approach to evaluate experimental-based correlations between maintenance work orders number (relating to a set of Italian university buildings as a relevant case study) and occupant density, thanks to exceptional conditions due to COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly altered building use. Results offer a power-law-based correlation model, confirming that the reduction of occupant density in the COVID-19 lock-down phases impacted the number and perceived severity, but not the typologies, of maintenance work orders. The retrieved correlation model occupant could be directly used to define and prioritize maintenance strategies given occupant density. Future research could use the model to define outsourcing and contract definitions starting from historical data on maintenance actions.

The mental health and wellbeing of spouses, partners and children of emergency responders: A systematic review.

Emergency responders (ERs), often termed First Responders, such as police, fire and paramedic roles are exposed to occupational stressors including high workload, and exposure to trauma from critical incidents, both of which can affect their mental health and wellbeing. Little is known about the impact of the ER occupation on the mental health and wellbeing of their families. The aim of the current study was to investigate what mental health and wellbeing outcomes and experiences have been researched internationally in ER families, and to examine the prevalence and associated risk and protective factors of these outcomes. We conducted a systematic review in accordance with an a priori PROSPERO approved protocol (PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019134974). Forty-three studies were identified for inclusion. The majority of studies used a quantitative, cross-sectional design and were conducted in the United States; just over half assessed police/law enforcement families. Themes of topics investigated included: 1) Spousal/partner mental health and wellbeing; 2) Couple relationships; 3) Child mental health and wellbeing; 4) Family support and coping strategies; and 5) Positive outcomes. The review identified limited evidence regarding the prevalence of mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Family experiences and risk factors described were ER work-stress spillover negatively impacting spousal/partner wellbeing, couple relationships, and domestic violence. Traumatic exposure risk factors included concerns family had for the safety of their ER partner, the negative impact of an ER partners' mental health problem on the couples' communication and on family mental health outcomes. Protective factors included social support; however, a lack of organisational support for families was reported in some studies. Study limitations and future research needs are discussed. Progressing this area of research is important to improve knowledge of baseline needs of ER families to be able to target interventions, improve public health, and support ER's operational effectiveness.

The legacy of 1300 years of land use in Jamaica

Despite decades of archaeological research on Jamaica, little is known about how settlers influenced landscape change on the island over time. Here, we examine the impact of human occupation through a multi-proxy approach using phytolith, charcoal, and stratigraphic analyses. White Marl was a continuously inhabited village settlement (ca. 1050–450 cal yrs BP) with large mounded midden areas, precolonial house structures, and human landscape management practices. We have shown that the local vegetation at White Marl was directly affected by human settlement through the use of agroforestry and burning, and suggest that fire was used to modify vegetation. Manioc phytoliths were found throughout human occupation and are broadly associated with increases in evidence for burning, suggesting fire was used to modify the landscape and clear vegetation for crop cultivation. The phytolith assemblages relate to three distinct temporal vegetation phases: (1) the earliest occupation dominated by arboreal vegetation (pre-ca. 870 cal yrs BP); (2) a transition to palm-dominated vegetation (ca. 870–670 cal yrs BP); and (3) the latest occupation representing European colonization associated with a more open, grass-dominated landscape (after ca. 670 cal yrs BP). These transitions occur independent of changes in paleoclimate records, suggesting humans were the dominant driver of vegetation change.

Self-Sacrifice in a Distressful and Threatening Environment: The Consequences of the COVID-19 Crisis in Intensifying Workplace Violence.

BackgroundThe stress and mental pressure resulting from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis exacerbated occupational stressors such as workplace violence against nurses even though nurses were endangering their lives to provide high-quality care and reduce patients’ suffering. Therefore, the present study aimed to explain Iranian nurses’ experiences of workplace violence during the COVID-19 crisis.Materials and MethodsThis study was conducted using a qualitative approach. Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses who had experienced workplace violence at COVID-19 referral centers in Kerman during the COVID-19 crisis. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data, and the research was reported via the COREQ checklist.ResultsAnalysis of the findings led to one main category, “nurses’ self-sacrifice in a distressful and threatening environment,” and four subcategories, which included “omitting entertainment and fun activities,” “having challenging duties in unsafe conditions,” “receiving insufficient support,” and “nurses’ toleration of disrespect.”ConclusionCrises can exacerbate workplace violence toward nurses. Thus, it is necessary to design educational programs and prevention strategies to manage the destructive psychological and occupational impact of the crises on nurses. Nurses should receive training in crisis management to cope with the intensified aggressive behavior of managers, colleagues, patients, and patient companions during the crisis. Policy-makers must be prepared to deal with crises, and they should take measures to improve nurses’ mental health and quality of care.

Artificial Intelligence and Employment: New Cross-Country Evidence.

Recent years have seen impressive advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and this has stoked renewed concern about the impact of technological progress on the labor market, including on worker displacement. This paper looks at the possible links between AI and employment in a cross-country context. It adapts the AI occupational impact measure developed by Felten, Raj and Seamans—an indicator measuring the degree to which occupations rely on abilities in which AI has made the most progress—and extends it to 23 OECD countries. Overall, there appears to be no clear relationship between AI exposure and employment growth. However, in occupations where computer use is high, greater exposure to AI is linked to higher employment growth. The paper also finds suggestive evidence of a negative relationship between AI exposure and growth in average hours worked among occupations where computer use is low. One possible explanation is that partial automation by AI increases productivity directly as well as by shifting the task composition of occupations toward higher value-added tasks. This increase in labor productivity and output counteracts the direct displacement effect of automation through AI for workers with good digital skills, who may find it easier to use AI effectively and shift to non-automatable, higher-value added tasks within their occupations. The opposite could be true for workers with poor digital skills, who may not be able to interact efficiently with AI and thus reap all potential benefits of the technology1.

Occupational prestige and job satisfaction in high-stress public safety work

Abstract Many factors play into public safety officers’ levels of stress, with relevance to community relations and public safety. This study examined perceptions of occupational prestige, job satisfaction, and resilience, drawing on a sample of 68 officers from two US municipal police agencies and one county jail. Focus group findings about the prestige of public safety work indicated that although officers were aware of—and sometimes adversely affected by—the negative public narrative and perceptions of information asymmetry, many also reported on positive interactions with the local communities that they served. Findings about job satisfaction illustrated officers’ pride in their performance but awareness of the need for resiliency and coping strategies in the face of occupational and administrative stressors and impact on their personal lives. Given the current broader discourse about criminal justice professions, attention to officers’ perceptions of their work is an important input to both policy and public safety.