Occupational Shifts Research Articles

Molecular form identification of anterior pituitary gland-secreted prolactin in chicken

Endocrine changes during bird reproduction are well documented. Prolactin (PRL) exhibits a strong relationship between incubation and broody behavior. The molecular forms of PRL in the anterior pituitary gland during the reproductive cycle have already been previously identified but not those in the secreted form. To identify the molecular forms of secreted PRL during the reproductive cycle, we thus monitored the physiological status and incubation behavior of 10 Silkie hens by a video recording system over 1–2 years. Nine out of ten mature hens exhibited incubation behavior multiple times during the experiment. Ten hens demonstrated two interesting features. In a typical clutch, hens spent 10–15 min in the nest to lay an egg. Once they spent over 1 h in the nest, the nest occupancy increased incrementally. This shift in the nest occupancy occurred 7–10 days before the incubation onset and was highly repeatable. Based on the behavior of the hens, we cultured the anterior pituitary gland during four stages (premature non-laying, laying, trans, and incubation) with physiological PRL-releasing factor, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). Based on our two-dimensional protein analysis, glycosylated PRL (G-PRL) displayed several isoforms with varying isoelectric points (pI), whereas we could detect one primary signal for non-glycosylated PRL (NG-PRL). However, 3–4 NG-PRL isoforms were detected in the anterior pituitary gland. These results suggested that secreted PRL, especially from the trans and incubation stages, contains various isoforms and it is post-translationally glycosylated and phosphorylated.

Binding and occupancy properties of gabapentin in mixed surfactant systems

AbstractThis research highlights the efficacy of mixed micellar systems as an innovative chemical formulation for improving the binding properties of active pharmaceutical drugs. The formulations based on the mole fraction were utilized for preparing mixed micelles with anionic sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). DLS measurements demonstrated the formation of small micelles and mixed micelles in SDS‐AOT combinations. A UV absorbance investigation demonstrated the effectiveness of the SDS‐AOT mixed micelles for determining the binding constant (Kb) and mean ion occupancy (i0) of the anticonvulsant gabapentin (GBP) drug. Kb values increased, but the occupancy (i) of GBP per micelle decreased by decreasing the mole fraction (α) of SDS from αSDS 0.9 to 0.1, predicting a shift in occupancy of drugs from the Palisade to the Stern layer. To get a better comprehension of micellization behavior and preferential interaction of the drugs under study, molecular docking studies were performed. According to the docking studies, the GBP displayed significant binding in the presence of SDS‐AOT when compared to pure SDS and AOT molecules. Ultimately, in pharmaceutical applications, mixed micelle played an important role in enhancing the binding and encapsulation efficiency of drugs.

The Influence of Education and Occupation Type on Birth Cohort Differences in Cognitive Function of Mexican Older Adults.

Mexico's population aging is occurring in the context of social changes such as increased educational attainment and occupational shifts from agriculture to service and industry. The current study compares cognitive function between two birth cohorts of Mexican adults aged 60-76 to determine if population-level changes in education and occupation type contribute to cohort differences in cognitive function. We used the Mexican Health and Aging Study to examine adults aged 60-76 in 2001 (men: 2,309; women: 2,761) and 2018 (men: 2,842; women: 3,825). Global cognition was calculated from five measures. Five main lifetime occupation types were created: no main job; agriculture; service; professional; and industrial. Ordinary least squares regression and structural equation models (SEM) were used to examine cohort differences in cognitive functioning. Ordinary least squares models that adjusted for age, community size, and marital status indicated that men and women had higher global cognition in 2018 than 2001 (men: b = 0.44, p < .01; women: b = 0.54, p < .01). These differences were reduced after adjusting for education and occupation type (men: b = 0.27, p < .01; women: b = 0.37, p < .01). Results from SEM indicated that the indirect effects of education on cognitive functioning were larger than occupation type for men (education: b = 0.18, p < .05; occupation: b = 0.001, p = .91) and women (education: b = 0.18, p < .05; occupation: b = 0.002, p = .22). Cognitive functioning is higher among more recent birth cohorts of older adults in Mexico. These cohort differences are partially mediated by education but not main lifetime occupation. Additional factors may contribute to cohort differences in cognitive function for older adults in Mexico.

Land Use Land Cover (LULC) Dynamics by CA-ANN and CA-Markov Model Approaches: A Case Study of Ranipet Town, India

The present study analyzed the spatio-temporal variations in the Land Use Land Cover types within Ranipet Municipal town in Ranipet District, Tamil Nadu State, India, using two different platforms (QGIS and IDRISI Selva v.17.0). The possible parameters driven the net changes in the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) types were also incorporated for the analysis. Results revealed the positive net changes in the built-up area are about 26.8%, and combined other classes like vegetation, barren land, and water bodies have net negative changes during 1997-2019. Particularly barren land was found to have a reduction of 17.4% due to the massive industrialization in the study area. Further, the LULC maps were used for future prediction (2029) using the dynamic models of CA-ANN (Cellular Automata and Artificial Neural Network) and CA-Markov. Predicted maps yielded a kappa index of 81.6% and 82.6% for CA-ANN and CA-Markov, representing their respective accuracy levels. The CA-Markov model is extended for determining the probable long-term changes for 2080 in LULC with a kappa index of 76.2%. Compared to the CA-ANN model using the QGIS platform, CA-Markov provided better analysis, particularly from one cell to the other. According to the survey and the ground truth in the locality, industrialization and occupational shift were the most influential drivers of LULC dynamics. Moreover, the results of this study assist the stakeholders in the decision-making process for future sustainable land use management.

Socio-Economic Transformation and Occupational Shift in Nepal: Explorations in Generational Analysis

Studies in the global context show a variation in the occupational relationships in between father-son, father-daughter, mother-son and mother-daughter. However, such studies in Nepal are insufficient. This paper describes the socio-demographic features of people in between successive generations, and their occupational relationships, typically of father and son. A semi-structured questionnaire schedule was used to collect information from a total of 385 father son pairs during June to September 2018 in Gajuri Rural Municipality of Bagmati Province, Dhading District, Nepal. Information was collected from those fathers whose eldest son got married by the time of interview. The findings from bivariate analysis revealed that along with the changes of several socio-economic variables in the rural households in Nepal, there is both continuity and change in the parental occupations in between the father and son. Among various characteristics of father, the level of education and monthly income, in the case of son’s characteristics, the level of education and migration; and in the case of household characteristics, the caste/ethnicities and residential locations were related with the father-son occupational change. Hence, these findings indicate that the rural society in Nepal is undergoing socio-economic transformations; there is both continuity and change of fathers’ occupation by the son.

Pottery as Traditional Occupation of Kumbaran: Emerging Trends and Concerns

Kumbaran is the potter community found in Kerala. Traditionally, they follow pottery as their livelihood. It is not only a traditional occupation for them, rather pottery is connected with their religion, culture and everyday life. Recent trends show an occupational shift in the community from pottery to various other professions. Yet there is a considerable number of members who work hard for the revival of their traditional occupation. However, a question on the continuity of traditional occupation has been a matter of concern for the past one decade. This paper is focusing on factors leading to the occupational shift in the community. This study is also tries to understand the current state of the traditional occupation of Kumbaran along with the concerns of its members. Qualitative methods have been implemented to comprehend data to support objectives of this study.

Challenges of occupational shift before de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes in India

Challenges of occupational shift before de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes in India

Developing cost-effective monitoring protocols for track-surveys: An empirical assessment using a Canada lynx Lynx canadensis dataset spanning 16 years

Management agencies need statistically robust, cost-effective monitoring programs to effectively conserve and manage wildlife. However, this requires pilot studies to assess the monitoring protocol's ability to detect meaningful changes in the state variable of interest. This is more challenging for elusive mammals due to low detection rates and the costs associated with fieldwork. A key knowledge gap concerns how spatio-temporal dynamics in species occupancy and detection rates alter the cost-effectiveness of sampling protocols. To fill this gap we used a dataset spanning 16 years on Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) track surveys conducted in Maine, USA, and developed optimal monitoring protocols that empirically assess the cost-effectiveness of these protocols under different scenarios. We surveyed 96 townships and detected 949 track intercepts, which were converted to detection histories under a spatially-replicated occupancy design. By combining occupancy modeling and power analyses, we estimated the sampling effort required to detect declines in occupancy from 10 to 50 %. Calculating the monetary cost of these protocols indicated that detecting subtle changes in occupancy (<10 %) is very expensive even within high suitability habitats and may often be unrealistic. However, protocols that detected medium (30 %) to large (50 %) declines required similar budgets and were consistent with the observed shifts in occupancy during our study period (34 %), suggesting that a modest budget increase would pay large dividends in population assessment efficacy. Our results provide important guidance on how to implement robust and cost-effective monitoring programs with snow track surveys – a popular survey method used by many conservation agencies.

Evidence of Input Sharing and Labour Pooling in an Automobile Cluster of Central India

Literature on agglomeration economies firmly establishes the trinity of Input sharing, Labour pooling, and Knowledge spillover, originally conceived by Alfred Marshal, as the foundation of any industrial agglomeration or cluster. Acknowledging the rationale of the trinity, this paper documents the pieces of evidence of Input sharing and Labour pooling in a planned automobile cluster of Pithampur, a backward region of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The development of the automobile cluster has transformed Pithampur from a bunch of villages to an automobile hub of central India. Knowledge spillover has been kept out of this study due to the paucity of data. These pieces of evidence are collected through primary and secondary data. It is found from the pieces of evidence of input sharing that both union and state government have played a significant role in developing industry-related infrastructures in Pithampur. The availability of supporting infrastructure, services and various fiscal incentives has helped the firms enjoy economies of scale and attracts potential investors to establish their firms in Pithampur. The evidences of labour pooling capture the dramatic changes in the demography of Pithampur in terms of population growth, sex ratio, occupational shift, migration, etc.

A deep redox proteome profiling workflow and its application to skeletal muscle of a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy model.

Perturbation to the redox state accompanies many diseases and its effects are viewed through oxidation of biomolecules, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. The thiol groups of protein cysteine residues undergo an array of redox post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are important for regulation of protein and pathway function. To better understand what proteins are redox regulated following a perturbation, it is important to be able to comprehensively profile protein thiol oxidation at the proteome level. Herein, we report a deep redox proteome profiling workflow and demonstrate its application in measuring the changes in thiol oxidation along with global protein expression in skeletal muscle from mdx mice, a model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). In-depth coverage of the thiol proteome was achieved with >18,000 Cys sites from 5,608 proteins in muscle being quantified. Compared to the control group, mdx mice exhibit markedly increased thiol oxidation, where a ∼2% shift in the median oxidation occupancy was observed. Pathway analysis for the redox data revealed that coagulation system and immune-related pathways were among the most susceptible to increased thiol oxidation in mdx mice, whereas protein abundance changes were more enriched in pathways associated with bioenergetics. This study illustrates the importance of deep redox profiling in gaining greater insight into oxidative stress regulation and pathways/processes that are perturbed in an oxidizing environment.

Future Shocks: Automation Meets the Pandemic

This article surveys the effects of what can be called two confluent agents of economic and societal transformation, digitally enabled automation and the covid-19 pandemic, on the contemporary economy. Examining shifts in work, occupations, labor markets, and consumption, the article ventures some conjectures on the consequences of this confluence, particularly across developed economies. The article contends that, while long-term automation tends to disrupt jobs and occupations which involve screen-facing work and, to a lesser extent, object-facing work, person-facing work is most exposed to the reallocation shocks precipitated by the covid crisis. Where consumption is concerned, both automation and pandemic-driven shocks lead to mutually reinforcing shifts. Seen together, automation and the pandemic phenomena can be regarded as intertwined socioeconomic stressors which will likely lead to even more divergent trajectories between the winners and the losers in the new economy.

The growth of organisational professionals in tertiary educational institutions in New Zealand

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to ascertain empirically to what extent we can quantify an occupational shift, where a new type of bureaucracy of organisational professionals is on the rise in tertiary educational institutions in New Zealand. Furthermore, the objective is also to present accountability as the prime factor behind the changes.Design/methodology/approachThe analytical strategy of the study takes a point of departure in the distinction between occupational and organisational professionals in the public sector in general, and more specifically in tertiary education (TE). Based on these new categorisations, the authors have used various descriptive historical statistics (both national and institutional) to estimate changes over time.FindingsThe article finds, in line with some international research, that there has been a comparatively higher growth of organisational professionals in TE in New Zealand, and a significantly higher growth than in the private sector and in the overall public services. The authors hypothesise that this growth can be associated with accountability (both vertical and horizontal) as the dominant notion in TE.Originality/valueThis article takes a different approach than the existing literature on administrative intensity in TE by looking at occupational changes rather than changes in institutions budgets. This article also confirms some of the findings in the growing international literature on changes in professional roles.

SOX transcription factors direct TCF-independent WNT/β-catenin responsive transcription to govern cell fate in human pluripotent stem cells.

WNT/β-catenin signaling controls gene expression across biological contexts from development and stem cell homeostasis to diseases including cancer. How β-catenin is recruited to distinct enhancers to activate context-specific transcription is unclear, given that most WNT/ß-catenin-responsive transcription is thought to be mediated by TCF/LEF transcription factors (TFs). With time-resolved multi-omic analyses, we show that SOX TFs can direct lineage-specific WNT-responsive transcription during the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into definitive endoderm and neuromesodermal progenitors. We demonstrate that SOX17 and SOX2 are required to recruit β-catenin to lineage-specific WNT-responsive enhancers, many of which are not occupied by TCFs. At TCF-independent enhancers, SOX TFs establish a permissive chromatin landscape and recruit a WNT-enhanceosome complex to activate SOX/ß-catenin-dependent transcription. Given that SOX TFs and the WNT pathway are critical for specification of most cell types, these results have broad mechanistic implications for the specificity of WNT responses across developmental and disease contexts.

Does Tibetan Household Livelihood Capital Enhance Tourism Participation Sustainability? Evidence from China's Jiaju Tibetan Village.

Identifying effective transformations to reduce poverty and approach rural sustainability is at the core of the first sustainable development goal of the United Nations. This article offers scientific support for continued efforts in sustaining rural development and livelihood resilience. Many studies have examined drivers of livelihood transition from farming to non-farm activities, especially participation in tourism against the backdrop of rural tourism development. However, few studies have identified ways to measure the level of tourism participation or have discussed how household-level capital influences decisions regarding tourism participation made by Tibetan ethnic households. This article assesses the role of livelihood capital in the adoption of tourism activities at the household level in Jiaju Tibetan Village, an ethnic region that is experiencing struggling agricultural business and developing tourism sector. Using household survey data, this study presents an ordinal logistic regression model to identify the determinants of the household tourism participation level. The results showed that households’ tourism participation was influenced by physical capital (e.g., proximity to major roads, odds ratio = 2.83 at p = 0.024; fixed capitals, odds ratio = 101.19 at p = 0.039), human capital (e.g., availability of family labor, odds ratio = 0.25 at p = 0.004; availability of skilled member, odds ratio = 2.91 at p = 0.002), and social capital (e.g., relatives in governmental sectors, odds ratio = 5.22 at p = 0.044; government payments, odds ratio = 8.78 at p = 0.04), while the influence of financial capital was not significant. The proximity to major roads, availability of skilled members, fixed assets, and direct and indirect support from the government to households were significantly and positively associated with tourism participation level. The effects of household labor availability and annual family income remain unclear. Overall, household livelihood capital plays a critical role in the enhancement of tourism participation in Jiaju Tibetan Village. Our findings have implications for understanding the shift of on-farm occupation to off-farm activities in tourism and for the pursuit of policies contributing to poverty reduction and rural revitalization in China as well as to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Supporting Our Troops—The Use of Peer Support With Veterans With Mental Health Conditions: A Systematic Review

Abstract Date Presented 04/02/2022 The transition from military to civilian life often results in a change in role, routines, and identity. This occupational shift can lead to disturbances in one’s overall mental health. This systematic review explored the impact of peer support on community reengagement for veterans with mental health conditions. Connecting with those who have been ‘in their boots’ has been shown to improve positive behaviors and relationships for veterans. Primary Author and Speaker: Colleen Sunderlin Additional Authors and Speakers: Cassidy Atkinson-Smith, Paige Plumley, Matthew Foley Contributing Authors: Katelyn Kennedy, Katlyn Sehring, Tyler Blair

Detecting Mismatch in Functional Narratives of Animal Morphology: a Test Case With Fossils.

A boom in technological advancements over the last two decades has driven a surge in both the diversity and power of analytical tools available to biomechanical and functional morphology research. However, in order to adequately investigate each of these dense datasets, one must often consider only one functional narrative at a time. There is more to each organism than any one of these form-function relationships. Joint performance landscapes determined by maximum likelihood are a valuable tool that can be used to synthesize our understanding of these multiple functional hypotheses to further explore an organism's ecology. We present an example framework for applying these tools to such a problem using the morphological transition of ammonoids from the Middle Triassic to the Early Jurassic. Across this time interval, morphospace occupation shifts from a broad occupation across Westermann Morphospace to a dense occupation of a region emphasizing an exposed umbilicus and modest frontal profile. The hydrodynamic capacities and limitations of the shell have seen intense scrutiny as a likely explanation of this transition. However, conflicting interpretations of hydrodynamic performance remain despite this scrutiny, with scant offerings of alternative explanations. Our analysis finds that hydrodynamic measures of performance do little to explain the shift in morphological occupation, highlighting a need for a more robust investigation of alternative functional hypotheses that are often intellectually set aside. With this we show a framework for consolidating the current understanding of the form-function relationships in an organism, and assess when they are insufficiently characterizing the dynamics those data are being used to explain. We aim to encourage the broader adoption of this framework and these ideas as a foundation to bring the field close to comprehensive synthesis and reconstruction of organisms.

An Exploring Human Resource Development in Small and Medium Enterprises in Response to Electric Vehicle Industry Development

Transitioning the automotive industry from internal combustion engines (ICE) to electric vehicles (EV) has arisen as a critical challenge for global countries in achieving human resource development, owing to the need of new labor skills and replacement of automation systems. By applying a case study of Thailand’s automotive industry in response to this challenge, we aimed to plot out the trajectory of changes involved in the industry’s workforce during its transition with a central focus on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), in order to make sound suggestions to the government on how to build an effective policy for industry growth. An exploratory research design was adopted for the investigation. Both primary and secondary sources were collected. Interviews with key stakeholders, including official agencies, organizations in the business sector, and academic institutions, were conducted in a semi-structured format to collect as primary data. Meanwhile, secondary data were gathered from reports and other scholarly contributions that are relevant. All of the data that were collected were subjected to qualitative methods of analysis, including content and theme analysis. We found that the advances in technology and associated skills have posed challenges to the SMEs for the workforce relocations in terms of occupational shifts and skill development, with engineering demand potentially growing 10% while low labor skills declined by nearly 70%. We emphasized that without effective policies for establishing EV roadmap and coordination practices between public and private stakeholders, this transition would have a detrimental effect on the workforce development of SMEs, which would ultimately have a harmful impact on the automotive industry and the economy.

Occupational Shift in Semi-urban areas of Nepal: A Socio-cultural Dynamics

Occupational shift, people shifting from the traditional sector to the modern economic sector, is a global phenomenon. People in Nepal are also shifting away from agriculture to other economic sector. But in Nepal, the socio cultural dynamics is considered more vital in this shift. This paper analyzes peoples’ perception regarding their experiences of occupational shift from sociocultural perspective. This study adopts a qualitative research design with narrative inquiry approach. For this, the experience of four research participants from Kathmandu valley were purposefully selected. In addition to listening and reflecting to their life stories about engagement to abandon agriculture occupation, their activities, emotions, and lifestyle were also narrated, observed and analyzed. The findings of this research indicate that several socio cultural aspects such as modernization, urbanization, industrialization had greater influence in this process. People in the name of being modern, were gradually shifting from traditional sector (agriculture) to modern economic sectors. The research hence concludes that potentiality of agricultural sector is still high for the country to generate employment and thus it is important to redefine the agricultural policy to attract youth towards it.

The Exposure of Workers at a Busy Road Node to PM2.5: Occupational Risk Characterisation and Mitigation Measures

The link between air pollution and health burden in urban areas has been well researched. This has led to a plethora of effective policy-induced monitoring and interventions in the global south. However, the implication of pollutant species like PM2.5 in low middle income countries (LMIC) still remains a concern. By adopting a positivist philosophy and deductive reasoning, this research addresses the question, to what extent can we deliver effective interventions to improve air quality at a building structure located at a busy road node in a LMIC? This study assessed the temporal variability of pollutants around the university environment to provide a novel comparative evaluation of occupational shift patterns and the use of facemasks as risk control interventions. The findings indicate that the concentration of PM2.5, which can be as high as 300% compared to the WHO reference, was exacerbated by episodic events. With a notable decay period of approximately one-week, adequate protection and/or avoidance of hotspots are required for at-risk individuals within a busy road node. The use of masks with 80% efficiency provides sufficient mitigation against exposure risks to elevated PM2.5 concentrations without occupational shift, and 50% efficiency with at least ‘2 h ON, 2 h OFF’ occupational shift scenario.

Realism and Power in Mark Twain's

Realism and Power in Mark Twain's