Principal Applicants Research Articles

Trends in the Development of Metallic and Bimetallic Nanoparticles: A Patents Landscape Analysis

The upward development of nanotechnology in the last 30 years for applications in medicine, agriculture, and energy, among others, has substantially impacted the development of scientific articles and patents. This has stimulated the knowledge economy by improving university-industry integration, which benefits all. The increasing development of patents leads us to analyze, within a period of 10 years, the emerging technologies in developing metallic and bimetallic nanoparticles. Additionally, the incidence that the production of patents has had on developing this technology in leading countries such as the United States, China, Australia, and India is shown. This article shows a scientometric analysis of the development of patents the metallic and bimetallic nanoparticles. Aspects such as patents by country, types of patents, inventors, applicants, and most developed technologies were evaluated. Scopus databases, Espacenet software, and different computer tools were used for the analysis. The results showed the United States and China with 53.3% of patent production with respect to the total; the United States mainly develops patents, and the principal applicants are Universities (63%) and industry (37%).

Comparing the Life Satisfaction of Older Immigrants and Refugees to Canadian-Born Older Adults: The Role of Immigrant Admission Classes

ABSTRACT Objectives Immigrant admission classes represent different entry routes to Canada and potential divergent pathways for later-life well-being. This study examined later-life satisfaction, an important correlate of well-being, comparing levels between Canadian-born older adults with those of older immigrants and refugees by admission class and considering the role of residency time in Canada. Methods This study used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2009–2014) linked to landing records for those 55 years and older. Regression models explored the association between admission class and later-life satisfaction adjusting for covariates and stratified by residency time in Canada. Results After accounting for a range of demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics, economic class principal applicants and refugees had significantly lower life satisfaction than Canadian-born older adults. The negative association with life satisfaction among economic class principal applicants persisted even after accounting for residency time in Canada. Conclusions Both admission class and length of residency in Canada are associated with levels of later-life satisfaction. Future studies should look beyond aggregated measures of immigrant status when examining determinants of well-being in later-life. Clinical Implications Vulnerable subgroups of immigrants and refugees are at risk of experiencing lower later-life satisfaction and adverse later-life outcomes.

The Association Between Perceived Relationship Quality and Psychological Symptoms in Refugees

Introduction: Relationship quality plays an important role in mental health, but little is known about its importance among resettled refugees. We investigated the association between perceived relationship quality and psychological symptoms among refugees resettled in Australia. Methods: Participants were 738 adult refugees (principal applicants, 83.5% male, M = 43.2 years, SD = 12.3) and their partners who participated in the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study across 5 years from 2013 to 2017. Participants were assessed for psychological distress, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and perceived relationship quality, using the Kessler scale (K6), the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-8 (PTSD-8), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale-4 (DAS-4), respectively. Results: Multiple regression analyses found that, among principal applicants, perceived relationship quality predicted psychological distress (p = .0006) at post-arrival, and changes in perceived relationship quality predicted changes in PTSS (p = .0003) across a one-year interval. When partners were analyzed, results were broadly consistent with those of the principal applicants, except that changes in relationship quality did predict changes in psychological distress, but not changes in PTSS. Discussion: Relationship quality appeared to be associated with psychological distress, but improvements in relationship quality may have particular utility for reductions in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. These results highlight the importance of relationship quality as a key correlate of refugee mental health.

Association between unmet post-arrival expectations and psychological symptoms in recently arrived refugees.

Thwarted expectations regarding one's post-settlement life may challenge the mental health of refugees. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between pre-arrival expectations and the course of psychological symptoms across time. A secondary analysis of 1,496 principal visa applicants across five waves of the Building a New Life in Australia (BNLA) study was conducted. The cross-sectional associations between expectations on the one hand, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD-8) symptoms and psychological distress (Kessler-6; K6) on the other, were assessed using multiple regression. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify discrete symptom trajectories of psychological symptoms across five years following settlement, and multinomial regressions were used to determine if violated expectations predicted membership of identified PTSD-8 and K6 class trajectories. LCGA supported a four-class solution for the PTSD-8 "Resilient Post Traumatic Stress (PTS)" (54.1%), "Improving PTS" (15.0%), "Deteriorating PTS" (17.3%), and "Persistently High PTS" (13.6%). For the K6, three classes were identified: "Persistently Mild K6" (60.4%), "Resilient K6" (9.4%), and "Persistently High K6" (30.2%). Thwarted expectations were found to significantly predict membership of less favourable symptom trajectories classes in the context of other established predictors. Post-settlement expectations may thus have weak but unique predictive value for the course of psychological symptoms alongside other factors such as older age and financial stress. Implications of these findings for service provision and policy are discussed.

Study of the ex-post moral hazard of laboratory services in Iran

The basic health insurances cover more than 90% of the Iranian population but have failed to organize the referral system and created favorable conditions for the ex-post moral hazard. Five hundred fifty people older than 15 years were randomly selected in five districts of Urmia city and completed the questionnaire to study the existence of Ex-post moral hazard in utilizing the high-consumption laboratory services (blood and urine tests). In this population-based cross-sectional study, utilization of the services in two groups of insured and uninsured people was analyzed using odds ratio statistics and logistic regression. The findings showed that being female (OR: 2.38) and having health insurance (OR: 2.03) played a very determinative role in obtaining selected laboratory services, and about 9% of the laboratory services provided were caused by ex-post moral hazard. The predicted size of ex-post moral hazard is significant, so its control requires modifying health insurance policies in determining the premium and cost-sharing schemes and controlling physicians' behavior as the principal applicants for these services.

Labor Dynamics of School Principals in Rural Contexts

Numerous studies have explored the labor market of school principals, documenting high turnover rates and voicing concerns regarding labor supply. However, little is known about the staffing challenges in rural schools and what promotes applicants to apply for and be hired for principalship in these locales. In partnership with the Wisconsin Education Career Access Network, we examine the principal labor dynamics in rural schools using statewide job-openings and application information. Results indicate that all rural communities—rural fringe, rural distant, and rural remote—receive comparable numbers of applications, as compared with urban districts. Female candidates and candidates of color are significantly less likely to apply to rural districts, while experience working in the same district is a considerable advantage to being hired. Additionally, higher student poverty is associated with fewer principal applicants in rural schools. These results indicate the need for policies better attuned to subtle differences in rural contexts.

Structure of the sunflower plant breeders’ rights landscape in South Africa

Varietal innovations and protection of plant breeders’ rights (PBRs) contribute to the development of any crop’s ability to produce higher yields relatively consistently. Producing yields under adverse weather conditions and the overall characteristic of drought tolerance, make the sunflower an attractive crop for producers in dryland production regions. The main objective of this study was to give an overview of the structure of the South African sunflower breeding programme, focusing on the construction of PBRs and the leading players in sunflower breeding and seed production in South Africa. We compiled a detailed database of sunflower varietal innovations in South Africa from 1979 to 2019 using various sources such as the South African Grain Laboratory, the Department of Agriculture’s Plant Variety Journals and the Crop Estimation Committee. This data set was then analysed using descriptive statistics and trend analysis to determine the main trends in ownership of PBRs and sunflower varieties. We looked at the inclusion of new sunflower varieties on the national variety list for sunflower varietal improvements in South Africa over this period. A total of 76 PBR sunflower varietal applications were lodged for the period – an average of 1.9 applications per year. The principal applicants for varietal inclusions on the national variety list were Pannar with 102 varieties (23.8%), Pioneer seeds with 51 varieties (11%), Saffola seed with 42 varieties (9.8%) and Agricultural Research Council with 10 varieties (2.3%). In order for breeders to benefit from their investment in research and avoid exploitation of their work, they need to be protected and receive returns on their investments. Innovation can be stimulated by proper collaboration between the private and public sectors, aided by broader variety sector legislation that encourages all players to invest.
 Significance:
 
 The study addresses the absence of empirical proof on the patterns and trends of sunflower varietal improvements in South Africa.
 The study provides evidence on the evolution of varietal rights, the extent of varietal rights granted, and which sunflower varieties were included on the national variety list and the breeders and owners of the varieties.

Building Research Capacity in Nursing Academia in 2020: Is the Road Less Perilous?

Building research capacity in nursing academic units continues to be a challenge. There are a number of external contextual factors and internal factors that influence individual faculty as well as the collective to engage successfully in research. The overall aim of this opinion article is to provide an overview of the current external and internal, processes and structures, relevant to capacity of nursing faculty to engage in research. To inform the external context, we reviewed national research funding trends for nursing. To inform the internal context, we provided an exemplar of the internal processes and structures designed to support research capacity building within our academic unit. Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding trends for research grants led by nurse principal applicants increased between 2010 and 2013, followed by a steady decline. In 2017 to 2018, there were only 24 research grants led by nurse principal applicants. These external challenges coupled with the traditional internal barriers, such as the imbalance between teaching and research time, threaten research capacity for nursing academics. Organizational strategies to promote research capacity within academic nursing units are a necessary requirement to move forward.

How does poverty differ among refugees? Taking a gender lens to the data on Syrian refugees in Jordan

ABSTRACT Many reports document the hardships experienced by refugees, highlighting that women and children are a highly vulnerable group. However, empirical analysis of how gender inequality impacts poverty among refugees is limited. We combine registration data for Syrian refugees in Jordan collected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with data from its Home Visit surveys to analyze income poverty rates among refugee households. We use an approach that captures the disruption to household structures that results from displacement to evaluate the poverty impacts, comparing refugee households with male and female principal applicants (PAs). We find that distinguishing between different types of principal applicant households is important. Half of the female PAs for nonnuclear households live below the poverty line compared to only one-fifth of male PAs for nonnuclear household. PAs who are widows and widowers also face high poverty risks. Households that have formed because of the unpredictable dynamics of forced displacement, such as unaccompanied children and single caregivers, emerge as extremely vulnerable groups. We show that differences in household composition and individual attributes of male and female PAs are not the only factors driving increased poverty risk. Gender-specific barriers which prevent women accessing labor markets are also a factor. Our findings show that gender inequality amplifies the poverty experienced by a significant number of refugees. Our approach can be used to help policy-makers design more effective programs of assistance and find durable solutions for displaced populations.

Healthy immigrant effect by immigrant category in Canada.

Medical screening plays a role in explaining the healthy immigrant effect (HIE) among immigrants newly landed in Canada. The 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) modernized immigration selection by exempting certain immigrant categories (e.g., refugees and certain family-class immigrants) from inadmissibility on health grounds. This study examines the HIE in the IRPA era by sex, with a focus on those categories affected by the IRPA. The linked Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) was used to compare sex-specific age-standardized proportions of four health measures between Canadian-born and immigrants aged 20 to 65, overall and by duration since landing. Immigrants who landed within three years of the surveys from 2007 to 2014 were examined by sex and immigrant category. Logistic regression was used to further compare the HIE in the same immigrant sub-groups to the Canadian-born, controlling for age and selected confounders. This study found the HIE in most selected measures for immigrants overall, as well as for those recent immigrants arriving under the IRPA, including the family class. Among refugees, the HIE was observed only in less severe chronic conditions; this was especially the case among females. As expected, a strong HIE was observed among economic-class principal applicants. These health advantages persisted even after adjustment for socioeconomic and health factors. For self-rated health, the advantage existed for some groups only after full adjustment. This study is a first look at the healthy immigrant effect under the 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act by immigration category. Results corroborate the existing literature on the presence of the HIE among immigrants: the HIE was found to be much weaker among refugees.

Rural and Small School Principal Candidates

This article reports the results of an inquiry into the dynamics of principal selection in rural school districts in two mid-American states with high numbers of rural schools. The study focuses on two questions: (1) are rural school districts experiencing a shortage of qualified applicants for vacant principal’s positions; and (2) what professional and personal characteristics do superintendents seek in selecting principals for rural schools? Data for the study were collected through a review of the relevant research literature and interviews with superintendents of rural school districts. The study confirmed that rural school districts in these two states are in fact not experiencing a shortage of qualified principal applicants and delineates specific professional and personal characteristics superintendents seek in the principals who lead rural schools.

Assessment of potential bias in research grant peer review in Canada.

Peer review is used to determine what research is funded and published, yet little is known about its effectiveness, and it is suspected that there may be biases. We investigated the variability of peer review and factors influencing ratings of grant applications. We evaluated all grant applications submitted to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research between 2012 and 2014. The contribution of application, principal applicant and reviewer characteristics to overall application score was assessed after adjusting for the applicant's scientific productivity. Among 11 624 applications, 66.2% of principal applicants were male and 64.1% were in a basic science domain. We found a significant nonlinear association between scientific productivity and final application score that differed by applicant gender and scientific domain, with higher scores associated with past funding success and h-index and lower scores associated with female applicants and those in the applied sciences. Significantly lower application scores were also associated with applicants who were older, evaluated by female reviewers only (v. male reviewers only, -0.05 points, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.08 to -0.02) or reviewers in scientific domains different from the applicant's (-0.07 points, 95% CI -0.11 to -0.03). Significantly higher application scores were also associated with reviewer agreement in application score (0.23 points, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.26), the existence of reviewer conflicts (0.09 points, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.11), larger budget requests (0.01 points per $100 000, 95% CI 0.007 to 0.02), and resubmissions (0.15 points, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.17). In addition, reviewers with high expertise were more likely than those with less expertise to provide higher scores to applicants with higher past success rates (0.18 points, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.28). There is evidence of bias in peer review of operating grants that is of sufficient magnitude to change application scores from fundable to nonfundable. This should be addressed by training and policy changes in research funding.

Changing Immigrant Characteristics and Pre-Landing Canadian Earnings: Their Effect on Entry Earnings over the 1990s and 2000s

During the 1990s and 2000s, the characteristics of new immigrants to Canada changed significantly across several dimensions, including education, admission class, source region, and pre-landing Canadian work experience, owing at least partly to changes in immigration selection policies. This article examines whether these changes affected earnings trends among immigrants. Among all new immigrants and economic principal applicants, aside from cyclical fluctuations, entry earnings changed little over the 1990s and 2000s. This stability was the result of competing influences, some that tended to increase earnings and some that tended to reduce them. The key changes in immigrant characteristics that put upward pressure on entry earnings were the rising educational attainment in the 1990s and a large increase in the share of immigrants with high pre-landing Canadian earnings during the 2000s. The latter characteristic also accounted for the earnings advantage of provincial nominees over skilled worker immigrants. The policy implications of the results are discussed.

Of Intake and Outcomes: Wage Trajectories of Immigrant Classes in Canada

This study utilizes tabular data from the Canadian “Immigration Database” (IMDB) to look at the association between entry class and the wage earnings of immigrant cohorts arriving between 1990 and 2007. As expected, immigrants entering as skilled, principal applicants have the strongest earnings trajectories. Immigrants who enter under family or humanitarian considerations see more moderate earnings growth with government-assisted having the shallowest earnings trajectories.

Beyond Economics: Broadening Perspectives on Immigration to Canada

This article reviews and critiques the current immigration policies in Canada, which are increasingly focused primarily on economic considerations. Data from a sample of 182 immigrant Chinese families (including mothers, fathers, and adolescents) are used to illustrate disconnections between immigration policy and the experiences of immigrants to Canada. The current individually-oriented immigration class system does not recognize non-economic motivations for immigration among principal applicants (e.g., for children’s future prospects) or the economic contributions of accompanying spouses. We argue for the incorporation of a long-term family-based lens for creating and evaluating immigration policy, one which accounts for the sacrifices parents make for their children and the contributions to Canadian society made by this next generation of Canadians. Furthermore, we caution against adopting policies that, over time, may limit the cultural diversity of new Canadians. We argue that supporting immigrants’ ability to be bicultural promotes multiculturalism, which benefits all of Canadian society. Cet article fait la critique des politiques d’immigration actuelles au Canada, qui sont de plus en plus axés essentiellement sur des considérations économiques. Les données provenant d’un échantillon de 182 familles immigrantes chinoises (y compris les mères, les pères et les adolescents) sont utilisés pour illustrer les déconnexions entre la politique d’immigration et les expériences des immigrants au Canada. Le système de classement d’immigration actuel orienté sur l’individu ne tient pas compte des motivations non économiques de l’immigration parmi les demandeurs principaux (par exemple, pour les perspectives d’avenir des enfants) ou les contributions économiques des conjoints accompagnant. Pour la création et l’évaluation de la politique d’immigration, nous appuierions l’incorporation d’une perspective long terme basée sur la famille, une politique qui prend en compte les sacrifices des parents pour leurs enfants et les contributions à la société canadienne faite par cette prochaine génération de Canadiens. De plus, nous mettons en garde contre l’adoption de politiques qui, au fil du temps, peuvent limiter la diversité culturelle des nouveaux Canadiens. Nous soutenons que le soutien de la capacité des immigrants de devenir biculturel favorise le multiculturalisme, qui profite à toute la société canadienne.

Do Economic Principal Applicants Work in Their Intended Regulated Occupation? Introducing the National Household Survey and Immigration Landing File Linkage Database

Immigrants who come to Canada as economic principal applicants are selected for their potential to contribute to the Canadian economy. This research introduces a Statistics Canada data set, the 2011 National Household Survey and Immigration Landing File, which brings the pre- and post-landing information together. Occupational match rates and benchmarks are calculated for selected regulated occupations that are covered by the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. Match rates are based on economic principal applicants’ intended four-digit National Occupation Code (NOC) occupations as stated on the Immigration Landing File (ILF) and their actual occupation as reported on the National Household Survey (NHS). This research highlights that that there is substantial variation among the five occupational categories that were selected for this study.

Former Temporary Foreign Workers and International Students as Sources of Permanent Immigration

Economic outcomes of former Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) and former international students (ISs) are compared to those of Skilled Worker Principal Applicants who have no Canadian experience at the time of landing. Controlling for only variables from the immigration points system, former TFWs have both higher earnings and employment rates, while ISs are no lower. When models are estimated separately by gender, male immigrants who were former TFWs have superior outcomes. Overall, the evidence provides support for the Canadian Experience Class in that former TFW, and to a lesser extent IS, status provides signals regarding immigrants' labour market integration.

Do Tied Movers Get Tied Down? The Occupational Displacement of Dependent Applicant Immigrants in Canada

In this study, we utilize both quantitative and qualitative data to examine the effect of dependent applicant status on the occupational mobility of married, professional immigrant men and women arriving in Canada through the skilled worker immigration category. Using longitudinal quantitative data, we find that dependent applicants, regardless of gender, experience a greater drop in occupational status after migration than principal applicants and they are unable to overcome this disadvantage over time. Qualitative interview data highlights the subtle, implicit relationship between dependent applicant status, traditional gender roles, and employment integration. In most cases, the women are designated as the dependent applicant during the immigration process because they have lower levels of the human capital that is valued for Canadian immigration than their husbands. Our findings suggest that within newly immigrated families, principal applicants are better able to reestablish their careers, while dependent applicants, disproportionately women, face more employment disadvantage, regardless of their professional background.

New Immigrants' Assessments of Their Life in Canada

In this paper, the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) is used to examine how immigrants in the 2000-2001 landing cohort subjectively assess their life in Canada. The paper provides a useful complement to other studies of immigrant outcomes that often focus on employment, income or health. Four years after landing, about three-quarters of LSIC respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their life in Canada, and a comparable proportion said their expectations of life in Canada had been met or exceeded. Nearly 9 out of 10 said that, if given the chance, they would make the same decision again to come to Canada. A broad range of demographic, social and economic characteristics are associated with subjective assessments. Positive assessments of life in Canada are less prevalent among individuals in their thirties and forties, and university graduates and principal applicants in the skilled worker admission category, than they are among other groups. While assessments of life in Canada are correlated with economic factors such as personal income, they are also correlated with social factors such as relationships with neighbours and perceptions of discrimination.

Immigrant Selection and Short-Term Labour Market Outcomes by Visa Category

This paper studies the efficacy of immigrant selection based on skill requirements in the Canadian context. The point system results in a much higher skill level than would otherwise be achieved by family preferences. This positive selection is achieved by directly selecting higher skilled principal applicants who are assessed by the point system and also indirectly through higher skilled spouses. However, due to difficulties in transfer of foreign human capital immigrants admitted for their skills do not necessarily perform better in the labour market and important factors used to assess admissibility have very limited power to predict short-term labour market success.