Occupational Background Research Articles

Effects of thermophysiological and non-thermal factors on outdoor thermal perceptions: The Tomebamba Riverbanks case

Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) is an indicator of urban-environmental sustainability. A better understanding of OTC requires exploring the effects of contextual, non-thermal and human-related factors on thermal sensation votes (TSV) in addition to the long-studied thermophysiological and microclimatic factors. In this research, the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) structure was used for grouping thermophysiological and non-thermal factors in three environments: corporeal (level of physical activity, level of clothing, gender, age and skin tone), mental (perceived urban agreeability, perceived urban insecurity and perceived urban noise) and social (company, occupation and cultural background). Field surveys were performed in three representative weeks of the annual climate-type in Cuenca, Ecuador during the hottest month (January), a cooler month (July) and an intermediate month (April), surveying 2321 users of two urban sites located at representative areas of the Tomebamba riverbanks. Statistical descriptive analysis and inferential methods were employed for exploring the effect of these SEM factors on the TSV using the Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) calculated with RayMan1.2 from on-site measured data. The analytical results evidenced a low influence of all three SEM environments on the TSV. Additionally, differences in male and female OTC requirements were identified, and two local PET-TSV scales were calculated from (1) urban global radiation data and (2) mean radiant temperature, calculated according to ISO 7726 with Ø 150 mm black-globe-thermometer measurements. The main results show Acceptable Temperature Ranges (rTa) in Cuenca from 29 °C to 34 °C PET (1) and from 26 °C to 37 °C PET (2), for 85% acceptability.

Patterns of project-based organizing in new venture creation

PurposeThe creation of a new venture is at the heart of entrepreneurship and shares parallels with project-based organizing: embedded in an institutional context, founders have to assemble a team that works on specified tasks within a strict time constraint, while the new venture undergoes various transitions. The purpose of this paper is to explore parallels between both streams of research and an increasing projectification of entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based upon a case study of the Berlin start-up ecosystem including the analysis of interviews (n=52), secondary documents, and field observations.FindingsThe paper reveals that – shaped by their institutional context – patterns of project-like organizing have become pertinent to the new venture creation process. It identifies a set of facets from the entrepreneurial ecosystems – more specifically different types of organizational actors, their occupational backgrounds, and epistemic communities – that enable and constrain the process of new venture creation in a way that is typical for project-based organizing.Originality/valueThis study thus elaborates on how institutional settings enforce what has been called “projectification” in the process of new venture creation and discuss implications for start-up ecosystems.

Learning everyday entrepreneurial practices through coworking

This article aims to understand learning in coworking. Coworking is an emergent global phenomenon that involves independent workers, often from various occupational backgrounds, working collectively in shared workspaces. I situate coworking in broader debates on entrepreneurialism and socioeconomic change to conceptualise it as a twofold process: of learning everyday coworking practices and learning through coworking practices. While coworking, individuals learn to make sense of their place in the entrepreneurial milieu by developing practices that contest established entrepreneurial norms. Drawing on an ethnographic study, I show how coworkers learn to become collaborative, intentional and to perform contestation through co-created situated learning. That learning enables them to co-construct a sense of community necessary to become entrepreneurially proficient in an increasingly uncertain world of work. By critically understanding why and how learning occurs in coworking, this research contributes to our knowledge of what learning is, and why and where it can occur.

The management of methamphetamine use in sexual settings among men who have sex with men in Malaysia

BackgroundThe intentional use of illicit drugs for sexual purposes (also known as ‘chemsex’) is well known within the MSM communities in Malaysia although research in this population is scarce primarily because both drug use and homosexuality are illegal and stigmatised in Malaysia. MethodsFrom April to December 2014, interviews were conducted with twenty men (age range 21–43) living in Greater Kuala Lumpur who had sexual intercourse with other men in the past 6 months and who used illicit drugs at least monthly in the past 3 months. Fourteen men were recruited via gay social networking smartphone applications or websites while six were referred by the participants. Data were analsed using thematic analytic approach. FindingsThe average duration of illicit drug use was 6.4 years (range 1–21) and all participants were using methamphetamine ("ice" or crystal meth) with frequency of use ranged from daily to once a month. Participants came from diverse ethnic, economic, and occupational backgrounds. Most participants used an inhalation apparatus ("bong") to consume methamphetamine and injection was rare in the sample. The primary motivation of methamphetamine use was to increase sexual capacity, heighten sexual pleasure and enhance sexual exploration and adventurism. Socializing with friends ("chilling"), and increased energy for work were secondary motivations. Participants emphasized the need to control the use of methamphetamine and some have established rules to control the amount and duration of use and a minority of men have maintained condom use during anal sex while under the influence of methamphetamine. Participants who professed to be in control of their drug use characterized themselves as functional users regardless of the health and social consequences from continuing use. Overall, participants perceived themselves differently from the traditional opioid users and reported limited access to sexual health and substance use treatment services. ConclusionThere is a need to increase access to HIV prevention services such as PrEP and PEP, professional support, and substance abuse treatment for drug-using MSM. A more open and friendly environment towards drug-using MSM may help them access and engage with the health services.

Who Goes Where? Committee Assignments in the Dutch Tweede Kamer

In this article, I analyse committee assignments in the Dutch Tweede Kamer across multiple legislative periods (1994–2012). This legislature is important to consider in the ongoing debate about committee assignments given that its electoral system minimises constituency-related assignment factors. The theoretical framework comprises the congressional theories of legislative organisation but highlights the involvement of parliamentary party groups in the assignment process. The hypotheses are tested using a multiple-membership multilevel model with additional evidence from 28 interviews with legislators. The results indicate that legislators’ educational and occupational backgrounds are important factors in the assignment process but show that partisan influences matter as well.

An Experience of Video Based Training on Basic Life Support

Basic life support is foundation to save lives. In contrast to the developed countries, there is still no national standard BLS training module in Nepal. Basic life support training is being provided by various institutions but lack in consistency and coordination. The Nepal basic life support Course is the video based training in Nepali language with reference to recent advances which was intended for all health care personnel of Nepal in urban as well as rural setting. We aimed to describe the features of this video based training module in local language, to analyse the differences of knowledge before and after the training and to find out the participants perception and satisfaction with this course. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study based on data of trainings conducted over the study period. Ethical approval was taken. The post-test score was recorded and compared with the occupational using ANOVA. On the spot and delayed feedbacks from the participants were collected voluntarily and summarized. Total of 576 participants (435 clinical doctors, 92 nurses/paramedics, 18 non-clinical doctors and 41 intern doctors) successfully completed the training. The difference in post test scores (mean = 12.9±1.8) among the different occupational background was not significant (P=0.159). The feedbacks from the participants were mostly positive and encouraging. The knowledge of basic life support improved significantly irrespective of the occupation of the participants. A universal, nationwide video based training module in Nepali language should be developed focusing all health care personnel of urban as well rural Nepal.

Effects of Relative Deprivation on Intention to Rebel: A Multiple Mediation Model

This study examined the mediating effects of future social expectations and interpersonal distrust on the relationship between individual relative deprivation and intention to rebel. Data were gathered from 807 people from multiple occupational backgrounds in a municipality in southwest China. Structural equation modelling showed that individual relative deprivation predicted intention to rebel directly and also that it predicted intention to rebel indirectly via negative future social expectations, interpersonal distrust, and a chain mediating effect of negative future social expectations and interpersonal distrust. These results highlight the importance of the associations between future social expectations and interpersonal distrust with intention to rebel in people who report relative deprivation. The findings also indicate that prevention and intervention programs related to relative deprivation and intention to rebel in China are worthy of further research.

Decreasing the Negative Effects of Work-Related Stress in Unchanged Working Environments

Background: Chronic work-related stress has a negative impact on both physical and mental health. The present translational study’s goal was to investigate the effectiveness of an individual-focused, standardised coping skills training provided outside the employment setting. Methods: 89 working individuals (76 women, 13 men; mean age: 41.3 years) from diverse occupational backgrounds completed a 12-hour stress management program. Work stress and overcommitment were measured by the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERI). Outcome variables included perceived stress (PSS10), anxiety- (STAI-T), depressive- (BDI), and subjective somatic symptoms (PHQ15), as well as well-being (WHO-WB5), life meaning (BSCI-LM), coping skills (LSS), and overall life satisfaction. Results: The post-intervention scores showed no change in work-related stress or overcommitment, whilst coping skills improved. Further, anxiety-, depression- and somatic symptoms decreased significantly and there was a significant increase in well-being, life meaning, and life satisfaction scores. These improvements were observed mostly in the subgroup reporting higher initial levels of work stress, associated with higher symptom scores. In the low-stress subgroup, only coping skills, perceived stress, and life meaning scores improved. Conclusions: A short, well-structured multimodal coping skills training can significantly reduce overall stress level and stress-related symptoms, and improve well-being and satisfaction in employees suffering from high work stress even if the work environment remains unchanged.

Age heaping and numeracy: looking behind the curtain

AbstractAge‐heaping‐based numeracy indicators have served as valuable tools to derive basic human capital estimates, especially for periods where other indicators are unavailable. However, the accuracy of individual age statements usually remains unknown, and due to the lack of precise information it can only be assumed that excessive occurrence of multiples of five in age distributions reflects inferior numerical skills. This article addresses this lacuna by identifying 162 individuals in two independent data sources: self‐reported age statements and independently kept records which are based on family heritage books and church registers. This method makes it possible to identify individual misreporting and the degree of accuracy of each individual. Findings show that not everyone who reported a multiple of five was reporting an incorrect age, nor was it the case that everyone who reported an age that was not a multiple of five was reporting an accurate age. The empirical analysis shows that the commonly used binary numeracy indicator is correlated with the observed degree of accuracy in age statements, and that a more sophisticated occupational background reduces this inaccuracy. These results tentatively suggest that the commonly used binary indicator measuring age heaping is a valuable proxy for numerical skills and occupational background in a population.

Do Family Backgrounds Control Students’ Motivation and Achievement in Learning a Foreign Language? The Case of One Islamic Senior High School in Jambi

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the relationship between family backgrounds of senior high school students and their motivation and achievement in learning English at one Islamic senior high school in Jambi city. Data were collected through questionnaire, interview, and written document (students’ English scores). Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation while interview data were categorized to support the quantitative data. It was found that first there was no significant relationship between family backgrounds (parents’ occupation and educational background) and students’ motivation at Islamic senior high school in learning English. Second, there was no significant relationship between family backgrounds (parents’ occupation and educational background) and students’ achievement at Islamic senior high school in learning English. Based on the result of interview data analysis, it found that there were lacks of parents’ roles in students’ achievement. This study provided information for policy makers, school leaders, researchers, and teacher educators to understand how the relationship between family backgrounds, motivation, and achievement in learning English at the school level.

Ethnicity and Occupational Differences in the Transforming Homogenous Culture: The Case of Lithuania

This article presents empiric research on respondents’ self-identification of ethnicity in such culturally homogenous country as Lithuania and comparisons among three occupational sectors: education, healthcare and business. The results reveal the difficulty when attempting to self-identity ethnicity resulting in high nonresponse rate. Furthermore, results indicate effects of occupational background of the respondent and influence of EU membership on the perceived ethnicity. The contextualisation of results within social and historical context of the country is outlined, as well as methodological implications.

Occupational Diversity in Polish Politics, 1991–2011

Candidates running for the Polish Sejm are increasingly drawn from a wider group of occupations (1991–2011). As the percents of intelligentsia and farmers decline in the candidate pool they are replaced by candidates from middle- and low-level nonmanual occupations and business owners and the self-employed. In spite of the increased occupational diversity among candidates, the occupational diversity of elected Members of Parliament (MPs) has declined significantly. Between the 1991 and 2011 elections, intelligentsia went from 78 percent of elected MPs to 83 percent and farmers declined from 9 percent to 1 percent. At the same time, there was an increase in elected MPs who are self-employed or business owners. Data from the 2011 election clearly show that list placements by parties explain the overrepresentation of intelligentsia. Even though the advantages for intelligentsia can be found in all parties, they are greatest in parties seeking to appeal to a broad base, for example, Civic Platform, while parties that appeal to a narrow constituency are more likely to place candidates with diverse occupational backgrounds in top positions.

POLITENESS PRINCIPLES AND FACE ACTS AMONG ENGLISH AND YORUBA INTERACTANTS

The contact of English with the multilingual Nigerian environment has led to different variations in the use and usage of the language in the Nigerian social context. In the same vein, the use of the language in the Nigerian socio-cultural context has resulted in a fillip, not only in the employment of the indigenized variety of the language, but also in the growth and the utilization of the face-acts and politeness principles among Nigerian interactants. It has been discovered through this research that the politeness and face-acts phenomena have become commonplace among participants of varied social, regional and occupational backgrounds. This paper has hence been used to analyze the politeness principles and face acts in the Nigerian English and Yoruba usages. Sampled data were gathered through the participant’s observation and oral interview. The sampled data were analysed ,using Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987) politeness principles expanded by Thomas (1995, 2000) and Bach and Harnih’s(1979)mutual contextual belief as theoretical framework .

Potential risk of a liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini infection brought by immigrants from prevalent areas: A case study in the lower Northern Thailand

Considering the long lifespan of the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini, human mobility from prevalent regions to other neighboring areas has the possibility to disperse carriers and complicate the opisthorchiasis problem. To evaluate this, mass screening of the fluke infection was conducted in nine communities of lower Northern Thailand, combined with a questionnaire survey to distinguish the participant’s origin. The liver fluke infection was found in 70 individuals (7.2%) of the examined 971 stool samples from seven communities, with light intensity providing small numbers of eggs in the examined stool. Prevalence in the positive communities varied from 2.1% to 28.7%. As a result of generalized linear mixed models fitting, regional origin and raw-fish eating habits were stably selected as variables affecting the parasite infection while occupation and educational background were secondary ones. Majority of the infected cases (64.3%) were found from the immigrants of northeastern Thailand (the fluke prevalent region), providing 2.28–2.42 times higher infectious risk on average against the local residents. Daily consumption of raw fish averaged a 3.12–3.60 times higher risk compared to those with no raw-fish eating habit. Our findings suggest that people’s origin and moving history deserve further attentions in health promotion programs including education for safe eating.

Choice of career in library and information science and past work experience

The study explores how different occupational backgrounds of Master’s students in LIS shape their motivation to choose a career in the library profession. The research is conducted on full-time employed Master’s students from Hong Kong. The research method applied is survey, and data were collected with an online questionnaire. The study reveals that students with library jobs significantly differ from students employed elsewhere with respect to motivation to pursue a career in LIS. While library-employed students place more value on extrinsic motivating factors, students employed in other fields value intrinsic factors as well. Regarding the future developments in the LIS profession, students from both groups agree that the application of information technologies, service orientation, academic research, marketing activities and teaching are all important.

Karakteristik Wanita Dengan Perdarahan Uterus Abnormal di Poli Kandungan Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut Dr Ramelan Surabaya Tahun 2016

Background : Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) is one of the causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding during women’s reproduction period. AUB can be possibly caused by various factors, either structural or non-structural abnormalities. FIGO classified 9 causes of AUB as it is arranged in an acronym: ‘PALM-COEIN’.
 Method : The design of this research is restrospective descriptive and the sampling technique of this research was purposive sampling. Data source used was secondary data obtained from patient’s medical record which has been diagnosed with AUB.
 Result : There are 82 cases concerning AUB which mostly distributed on 41-50 years age group (48.8%). The highest cases on AUB were Islamic religion (90.3%), diploma and bachelor as the last educational program (46.3%), occupational background such as cervants which cover civil servant, military, and police (41.5%), Surabaya domiciled (74.4%), married (80.5%), normal Body Mass Index (65.8%), and parity multiparous (56.1%). The major causes classified in PALM-COEIN is ovulatory disfunction (37.8%) and medical management (73.1%)
 Conclusion : Out of 82 cases of AUB in prenatal poly of Naval Hospital Dr. Ramelan Surabaya in 2016, it was found the highest case on 41-50 years age group, Moeslem, diploma and bachelor as the last educational program, civil servants, Surabaya domiciled, married, normal BMI, parity multiparous, the cause of AUB ovulatory disfunction, and medical management.

The further rise of the career politician

Political careers have changed dramatically in the last 50 years. Still, political science research has yet to fully quantify this development. Building on existing literature on career politicians, this study uses a handful of indicators introduced by King (Br J Polit Sci 11(3):249–285, 1981), a new variable (pre-parliamentary occupations), and an original data set compiled by the author. The paper’s contribution to the literature is threefold. Firstly, using the variables introduced by King, it observes that a plateau in the number of career politicians has been reached. Secondly, when looking at the occupational background of politicians, the data show a further rise in career politicians. Thirdly, this development is especially prevalent among cabinet ministers.

Friendship at work and error disclosure

Organizations rely on contextual factors to promote employee disclosure of self-made errors, which induces a resource dilemma (i.e., disclosure entails costing one's own resources to bring others resources) and a friendship dilemma (i.e., disclosure is seemingly easier through friendship, yet the cost of friendship is embedded). This study proposes that friendship at work enhances error disclosure and uses conservation of resources theory as underlying explanation. A three-wave survey collected data from 274 full-time employees with a variety of occupational backgrounds. Empirical results indicated that friendship enhanced error disclosure partially through relational mechanisms of employees’ attitudes toward coworkers (i.e., employee engagement) and of coworkers’ attitudes toward employees (i.e., perceived social worth). Such effects hold when controlling for established predictors of error disclosure. This study expands extant perspectives on employee error and the theoretical lenses used to explain the influence of friendship at work. We propose that, while promoting error disclosure through both contextual and relational approaches, organizations should be vigilant about potential incongruence.

Submissive Lobby Fodder or Assertive Political Actors? Party Loyalty of Career Politicians in the UK House of Commons, 2005–15

Are career politician members of parliament (MPs) more or less likely to vote against the party line than their peers? Despite growing interest in the behavior of career politicians across parliamentary systems, answers to this question are marked by considerable theoretical and empirical uncertainty. I derive the two most common (but opposing) behavioral predictions before testing them over all legislative votes of two UK House of Commons terms (2005–15) using multilevel modeling of new and disaggregated data on MPs' occupational backgrounds. The finding that career politicians are more likely to rebel challenges conventional wisdom and provides an important empirical foundation for the ongoing debate.

Triggers for attempted suicide in Istanbul youth, with special reference to their socio-demographic background

Objective: Suicidal behavior of young people is a topic of utmost importance because suicide is irreversible, and should be prevented. Knowing about the psychosocial background and the triggering events could help in preventing suicidal behavior. We therefore aimed at identifying psychosocial factors that may trigger suicidal behavior in youth.Methods: We analyzed retrospectively the standardized records of 2232 youths aged ≤25 years, who were treated after a suicide attempt at emergency units of public hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey during a period of 1 year. We describe this population according to sex and socio-economic conditions, like educational, occupational, relationship status and link them with their reported reasons for suicide attempts.Results: The majority of patients were female (81.6%, N = 1822 females, 18.4%, N = 410 males). Independent of their educational and occupational background, patients indicated most frequently intra-familial problems (females 45.8%, males 30.5%), intrapersonal problems (females 19.9%, males 18.5%), and relationship problems (females 11.3%, males 23.9%) as triggering reasons.Conclusions: Because intra-familial problems were the most frequently reported triggers of suicide attempts, preventive measures should focus on handling intra-familial conflicts. As sex differences were observed for the second-most common trigger-reasons, prevention should also focus on differentially handling intrapersonal and relationship conflicts better.