Professional Occupations Research Articles

Former participation in professional football as an occupation in patients with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder leading to a synucleinopathy: a case-control study.

Contact sports such as football are associated with late development of neurodegenerative diseases, in part due to the deleterious effect of repetitive head impacts during participation. Isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (IRBD) represents an early manifestation of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson disease (RBD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We hypothesized that former professional football participation would be overrepresented in IRBD. To assess former participation in professional football as an occupation in IRBD. In a case-control retrospective study, having played football as a professional occupation in the Spanish Football Professional Leagues was examined interviewing polysomnographically confirmed IRBD patients and matched controls without IRBD. Among 228 Caucasian Spanish IRBD patients with 68.5 ± 7.2years, six (2.63%) were retired professional footballers. Length professional football career ranged between 11 and 16years. Interval between football retirement and IRBD diagnosis was 39.5 ± 6.4years. At IRBD diagnosis, the six footballers had synucleinopathy biomarkers including pathologic synuclein in the CSF and tissues, nigrostriatal dopaminergic deficit and hyposmia. Follow-up showed that three footballers developed PD and two DLB. None of the controls was a professional footballer. The percentage of professional footballers was higher in IRBD patients than in controls (2.63% versus 0.00%; p = 0.030) and among the general Spanish population (2.63% versus 0.62%; p < 0.0001). We found an overrepresentation of former professional footballers in IRBD patients who later developed PD and DLB after four decades from professional retirement. In professional footballers the development of a neurodegenerative disease may be first manifested by IRBD. Screening for IRBD in former footballers might identify individuals with underlying synucleinopathies. Further studies with larger samples are needed to confirm our observations.

Identifying Neighbourhood Change Using a Data Primitive Approach: the Example of Gentrification

Data primitives are the fundamental measurements or variables that capture the process under investigation. In this study annual data for small areas were collated and used to identify and characterise gentrification. Such data-driven approaches are possible because of the increased availability of data over small areas for fine spatial and temporal resolutions. They overcome limitations of traditional approaches to quantifying geodemographic change. This study uses annual data for 2010–2019 of House Price, Professional Occupation, Residential Mobility (in and out flows) and Ethnicity over small areas, Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs). Areas of potential gentrification were identified from directional changes found in all of these variables, across combinations of start and end time periods. The initial set of areas were further processed and filtered to select robust gentrification cycles with minimum duration, and to determine start, peak and end years. Some 123 neighbourhoods in a regional case study area were found to have undergone some form of potential gentrification. These were examined further to characterise their spatial context and nature of the gentrification present, and specific types of gentrification were found to have specific periodicities. For example short-length durations (three to four years) were typically located in rural and suburban areas, associated with transit-induced cycles of gentrification, and greenification. Seven neighbourhoods were validated in detail, confirming the gentrification process and its type and their multivariate change vectors were examined. These showed that vector angle reflects the main data primitive driving the cycle of gentrification, which could aid with future prediction of gentrification cycles. A number of areas of further work are discussed.

Social mobility through higher education: exploratory analysis of ethno-racial, gender and class intersection in professional undergraduate programmes

ABSTRACT Higher education and elite professional occupations are considered to be key sources of social mobility. In this paper, we suggest that examining patterns of admission into professional undergraduate programmes, a key route for entry into elite professional occupations, may provide important insights into social mobility through higher education. We analyse university admission offer data and assess the impact of ethno-racial, gender and class intersection on relative likelihood of student admission to six elite professional programmes (medicine, law, accounting, architecture, engineering and business management), in comparison to non-professional programmes. Our exploratory analysis provides several interesting results; though they present a generally pessimistic picture of potential social mobility through higher education. We find that higher class background is a key factor in admissions to elite professional programmes, especially evident in the exemplar traditional professions of medicine and law; presumed gender effects on entry into technical math-based professional programmes, such as engineering and accounting, are substantially moderated by class background; and ethno-racial background may mitigate some of the class penalties for women, but leads to double penalty for black men. Our findings contribute directly to the current research on impact of class origin on social mobility, especially that on class ceiling. Further, we respond to recent calls for fuller inclusion of class in intersectionality-based research by showing how class may work both through and against other social factors, such as race and gender.

Participation in the Global Corporate Challenge®, a Four-Month Workplace Pedometer Program, Reduces Psychological Distress.

Psychological distress (stress) has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases and is exacerbated by a range of workplace factors. Physical activity has been shown to alleviate psychological distress. Previous pedometer-based intervention evaluations have tended to focus on physical health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the immediate and long-term changes in psychological distress in employees based in Melbourne, Australia after their participation in a four-month pedometer-based program in sedentary workplaces. At baseline, 716 adults (aged 40 ± 10 years, 40% male) employed in primarily sedentary occupations, voluntarily enrolled in the Global Corporate Challenge© (GCC©), recruited from 10 Australian workplaces to participate in the GCC® Evaluation Study, completed the Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Of these, 422 completed the K10 at baseline, 4 months and 12 months. Psychological distress reduced after participation in a four-month workplace pedometer-based program, which was sustained eight months after the program ended. Participants achieving the program goal of 10,000 steps per day or with higher baseline psychological distress had the greatest immediate and sustained reductions in psychological distress. Demographic predictors of immediate reduced psychological distress (n = 489) was having an associate professional occupation, younger age, and being 'widowed, separated or divorced'. Participation in a workplace pedometer-based program is associated with a sustained reduction in psychological distress. Low-impact physical health programs conducted in groups or teams that integrate a social component may be an avenue to improve both physical and psychological health in the workplace.

Fellow Degree: Motives for Thesis Defence and Professional Occupation

Fellow Degree: Motives for Thesis Defence and Professional Occupation

학교 교육과정 개발 전문가 양성을 위한 실습 교육과정 방향 탐색

Objectives This study attempted to examine the direction of training experts in school curriculum development based on the concept of expertise and implications through curriculum analysis for professional development, focusing on the ‘doctor’, which is referred to as a representative professional occupation group.&#x0D; Methods In order to analyze the practical curriculum that contributes to improving doctor expertise for the study, the basic curriculum system of domestic and foreign practice, clinical practice curriculum in doctor basic curriculum, apprenticeship education, and practical test in doctor's national test were analyzed.&#x0D; Results The directions of the practical curriculum for fostering experts in the development of the school curriculum are as follows. First, the school curriculum development expert was considered to be an expert who can plan, design, operate, and manage the school curriculum based on a wide understanding of the school-level curriculum. Second, the qualifications of experts in the development of the school curriculum were divided into teachers and researchers, and the range was four years with Year 1 to 4, and the scope was presented separately by knowledge and practice. Third, three educational methods were presented: apprenticeship education, problem-based learning, and presentation of practice cases. Fourth, for the education evaluation test, two practical tests for problem situations by item and problem-solving practical tests were designed.&#x0D; Conclusions First, it is necessary to continuously discuss the necessity of the curriculum for training experts in school curriculum development. Second, there is a need for social consensus on the importance and necessity of practical and practical education to cultivate experts in the development of the school curriculum. Third, legal institutionalization of the school curriculum development expert training and certification system should be made.

How does arthritis affect employment? Longitudinal evidence on 18,000 British adults with arthritis compared to matched controls

IntroductionOne in ten working age people in the UK live with arthritis or a similar condition affecting their joints. This impacts their quality of life, including through their work. But little is known about how arthritis affects labour market outcomes and the types of people most likely to be affected. MethodsData from three population-representative household panel surveys (BHPS, ELSA, UKHLS) collected in 2001–2019 was harmonised. Propensity score matching was used to match 18,014 UK adults aged 18–80 who have arthritis with comparable adults without arthritis. The relationship between arthritis and employment, and earnings and work hours conditional on employment, were assessed using multilevel regression modelling. Heterogeneity in these relationships were assessed by age, gender, degree-level education status, NS-SEC job classification and employer type. ResultsOn average, arthritis was associated with a 3 percentage point reduction in the probability of employment. The effect size varied over people's life course and was larger amongst females, people without a degree, and those in routine or intermediate occupations (when compared to those in professional occupations) or working for small private companies (when compared to large private companies and non-private employers). Our models predict, for instance, that arthritis is associated with an 11 percentage point reduction in the probability of employment among 50-year-old women without a degree. This contrasts with a 5 percentage point reduction among 50-year-old men without a degree. If employed, men with a degree earned less if they had arthritis, whereas others (including women with a degree and men without a degree) had similar earnings regardless of their arthritis status. Those in professional occupations with arthritis also earnt less, especially if they were women aged over 40, with indications that this was driven by reduced work hours. ConclusionPolicy interventions to support people with arthritis who wish to remain in work might be designed with people in routine work in mind, and targeted at those working in smaller private firms. More research on the cost-effectiveness of those interventions is needed.

Factor Associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge among males: Findings from 2017-18 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (UNAIDS) has risen as the serious public health problem across the world. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS is the cornerstone for prevention and treatment. Research is needed to explore the attitude and the effect of different demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic and media exposure factors on males knowledge about HIV in Pakistan. In this study, latest secondary data are used from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18. Sample results show that the majority of the respondents (70%) have knowledge about AIDS. Regression Modeling reveals that man's knowledge about HIV/AIDS is associated with age, place of residence, educational level, wealth index, ethnicity and media exposure factors. Males of age group 35-39, with higher education, belonging to Pukthon ethnicity, having exposure to mass media on a daily basis and belonging to richest wealth quintile has high Knowledge of HIV/AIDS. For example, the regression model predicts that men between the ages of 35 and 39 from Islamabad who live in urban areas, have higher education, are of Pukhtoon ethnicity, are the head of the household, belong to the richest quintile, work in professional occupations, and use media exposure factors on a daily basis would have probability of 97% of having knowledge of HIV/AIDS. But there is still need to focus to increase the men's knowledge of HIV/AIDS.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice to COVID 19 Infection Among Outpatients Attending a General Medicine Department

Background and Objectives: We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 among general medicine outpatients. Materials and Methods: We recruited people attending a general medicine outpatient department of a tertiary hospital. We assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 using a specially designed questionnaire. Results: Two hundred and sixty-eight participants were recruited. The study documented high knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice among patients and their relatives. Knowledge was significantly associated with higher education (odds ratio [OR] = 2.87; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.127.36; P = 0.029) and the use of the Internet as a source of information about COVID-19 (OR = 5.17; 95% CI = 2.2611.85; P = 0.000). However, Internet use (OR = 0.23; 95% CI = 0.100.54; P = 0.001) was associated with a more negative attitude. Good practice was associated with high levels of knowledge (OR = 2.20; 95% CI = 1.223.96; P = 0.009), a positive attitude (OR = 2.31; 95% CI = 1.134.71; P = 0.022), and a professional or semi-professional occupation (OR = 2.80; 95% CI = 1.077.32; P = 0.036). Residence outside of the district (OR = 2.79; 95% CI = 1.077.32; P = 0.036) was associated with better practice related to COVID-19 suggesting people who travel greater distances for health care may be more motivated at maintaining better practice. Conclusion: The study found that good practice in relation to COVID-19 was associated with higher levels of knowledge, a positive attitude, professional occupation, and distance traveled to reach hospital.

Fitness Coaching: Analysis of a Developing Profession in Senegal

Initially considered as a simple passion and a voluntary commitment, fitness coaching is becoming more and more professional and seems to be becoming a real profession in Senegal today. This situation is due in part to the growing demand for fitness activities expressed by a large part of the population. The aim of this study is to take stock of the situation of fitness coaches in Senegal. Specifically, it is a question of analyzing their socio-demographic profiles, their levels of education and training in the field of sport, and the conditions of exercise of their profession. This research is based on a mixed methodology combining a questionnaire survey (n = 124) and a series of 23 semi-structured interviews conducted with actors in the fitness sector in Dakar. The results show that the supervision of fitness activities is mainly characterized by a male population composed mainly of young people with a high level of education. Coaching in fitness appears as a “second” profession that complementsanother professional occupation. Moreover, the fitness sector is characterized by the “pluriactivity” where ismixed interventions in several fitness rooms and professional occupations in other sectors.

Frequency and risk factors for headache disability: A population-based cross-sectional study in Egypt.

A headache is a very common condition that can have a significant impact on one's quality of life. It is one of the leading causes of years lived with disability worldwide. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of primary headache disability, its characteristics, risk factors and its impact on daily life. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Fayoum governorate. The sample size was 1909 participants. A multistage random sample technique was used to select adults aged above 18 years. A self-structured questionnaire solicited information on sociodemographic characteristics, headache characteristics, and the headache disability index. SPSS v 22.0 was used for data analysis. Headaches caused complete disability in 19.5% of the study group, and 76.8% developed severe disability. Participants who reported that they had a headache more than once a week were; 44.5% had moderate pain and 40.2% had more intense pain. About 55% complained of attacks rather than continuous headache and were more likely to have a degree of complete disability, (P = 0.001). A statistically significant association was found between living in urban areas, working in professional occupations, complaining of severe headache in the form of an attack and seeking medical advice, with high scores of headache disability. Headache is a condition that affects the entire population in a way that causes high levels of disability. Good management is necessary for the reduction of the adverse effects of headaches on the health of the population. This should focus on raising public awareness by means of education and on the provision of basic healthcare.

How Do People Living With HIV (PLHIV) and AIDS Feel About the Quality of Care They Received Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lagos, Nigeria?

Background: This study aimed to assess the perception of quality of care among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Lagos, Nigeria, and identify factors influencing their perceptions. Methodology: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted between December 2020 and March 2021 among 578 PLHIVs drawn from various healthcare facilities in Lagos where HIV care and treatment services were provided. Data were collected through pretested questionnaires and analyzed using Stata SE 12. Results: About 83% of the respondents had a good attitude toward their HIV medication, and 95.5% had a good perception of the quality of care they received. PLHIVs with higher education, skilled or professional occupations and higher monthly income had a significantly higher perception of quality of care compared to others (P < .05). Conclusion: The PLHIV in Lagos had a positive attitude toward their medication and a good perception of the quality of care they received during the COVID-19 pandemic. All stakeholders' efforts should be sustained for continuous quality improvement in HIV care in Lagos.

The Relationship between Delegation and Incentives across Occupations: Evidence and Theory

A large literature, both theoretical and empirical, suggests that delegation of authority and incentives should have a positive relationship. Using data from a large cross section of British establishments, we show that the positive relationship between incentives and delegation that has been consistently documented in the empirical literature masks a stark difference between job types. We classify jobs into two categories: complex jobs include professional, technical and scientific occupations and simple jobs consist of all other occupations with a lower-level code in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. We find that for simple jobs, the relationship between delegation and incentives is positive as has been found in the previous literature, whereas for complex jobs it is negative. To explain this negative relationship for complex jobs, we develop a model where tasks have a risk-return tradeoff and where a single performance measure has to induce both task selection and effort. We find that if tasks vary sufficiently by risk and return and if effort is noisy to measure, then delegation and incentives have a negative relationship.

Entrepreneurship as an occupational choice

This article aims to consider the entrepreneurship as an occupational choice and to understand the flow among different forms of occupations. Professionally active people may decide to start their own business or find hired employment as an option of professional occupation, the main difference being the fact that an entrepreneur makes entrepreneurial pro fits with the risk of failure, while an employed person receives risk–free remuneration. The choice of the form of professional activity depends on the perception of attractiveness of both forms, people who perceive entrepreneurial profits as more beneficial than workers’ wages more likely decide to become entrepreneurs than waged employees. However, i n the presented paper, the choice is considered not only between entrepreneurship and employment but also concerns the scale of entrepreneur ship. When starting one’s own business, people also need to decide whether they will hire employees and become proper entrepreneurs or whet her they will abandon the idea of hiring employees and become quasi entrepreneurs, also known as solo entrepreneurs. The issue of entrepreneurship as an occupational choice is presented empirically using the time series data for Poland on a quarterly basis in the years 2003–2018. The influence of the overall economic situation, which determines business opportunities and average salaries, on the choice between a pro per entrepreneur, a quasi–entrepreneur and a hired worker is presented with the use of regression analysis. The results show that changes in the overall economic situation and in the level of average wages lead to flows between proper entrepreneurs and quasi–entrepreneurs, and thus, to changes in the employment structure. Improving market conditions encourage people to follow the path of proper entrepreneurship or to become hired workers, while abandoning quasi entrepreneurship. The deterioration of business opportunities, in turn, is the reason for the reduction of entrepreneurship and employment downsizing, at the same time leading to an increase in the number of quasi entrepreneurs.

Works of Art in the Thematic Collections of the Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich. From the Experience of the Collection Reconstruction

The article is devoted to the collection of works of art by the Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, which was located in the New Mikhail Palace before the revolution, which today does not exist as a single whole, but has been preserved as separate parts in central and regional Russian museums. On the basis of the reconstruction of the collection, carried out with the help of written sources and the revealed pictorial series, its composition was analyzed, the main thematic blocks were highlighted and the characteristic features of the collecting activity of its owner were determined. Until now, this aspect has not become the subject of special study. The novelty of the study also lies in the use of previously unpublished archival documents, the main place among which is occupied by the surviving inventories of the movable property of the New Mikhail Palace, compiled during the life of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich, as well as after the nationalization of the palace. The study of sources, as well as works of art stored in Russian museums, made it possible to fully recreate and reconstruct the composition of this collection. The study showed that numerous items related to military history, Caucasian life, and hunting were kept in the New Mikhail Palace, which reflected the professional occupations and interests of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich. Works of art have been an integral part of these thematic collections. The main criterion for their selection was the plot, and the main requirement for works of art was the exact fixation of the events depicted, many of which were witnessed or participated by the owner himself. The authors of numerous paintings, graphic works and sculptural compositions located in the New Mikhail Palace were both renowned artists of their time and lesser-known Russian and European masters. The significant role of Emperor Nicholas I in the formation of the artistic tastes of the Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich and the requirements that he set for works of art is noted.

Education Across the Island of Ireland: Examining Educational Outcomes, Earnings and Intergenerational Mobility

This paper builds on a study of educational differences across Ireland and Northern Ireland to explore the relationship between educational attainment, social background and wages. We find evidence of substantial wage premia across all qualification levels in Ireland relative to Northern Ireland, a pattern that is widespread, and not merely driven by higher returns to professional occupations or FDI employment. The mean wage gap was 27% in 2014 in favour of Ireland, and approximately 25% of this difference can be explained by lower levels of educational attainment in Northern Ireland. We find that levels of educational attainment (early school leaving) are substantially lower (higher) in Northern Ireland relative to Ireland. There is also evidence of differences in how the education level of parents affects offspring's attainment. We conclude that academic selection in Northern Ireland is likely to contribute to limiting the extent to which the educational system facilitates intergenerational educational mobility.

Education Across the Island of Ireland: Examining Educational Outcomes, Earnings and Intergenerational Mobility

This paper builds on a study of educational differences across Ireland and Northern Ireland to explore the relationship between educational attainment, social background and wages. We find evidence of substantial wage premia across all qualification levels in Ireland relative to Northern Ireland, a pattern that is widespread, and not merely driven by higher returns to professional occupations or FDI employment. The mean wage gap was 27% in 2014 in favour of Ireland, and approximately 25% of this difference can be explained by lower levels of educational attainment in Northern Ireland. We find that levels of educational attainment (early school leaving) are substantially lower (higher) in Northern Ireland relative to Ireland. There is also evidence of differences in how the education level of parents affects offspring's attainment. We conclude that academic selection in Northern Ireland is likely to contribute to limiting the extent to which the educational system facilitates intergenerational educational mobility.

Werbalne i niewerbalne przejawy seksizmu w wybranych podręcznikach do nauki języków polskiego i norweskiego jako obcych

The aim of this study is to examine signs of gender discrimination in selected textbooks for learning Norwegian and Polish as foreign languages. Norway is considered to be a leading country in terms of gender equality, while Poland does not traditionally carry such connotations. Therefore, it is presumed that those slight cultural differences have an impact on the content of the books under discussion. The study considers whether included texts teach about feminism and gender equality. Secondly, professional occupations of male and female characters are examined in order to assess the extent of gender stereotyping. The last part is focused on examples of sexism itself. The analysis leads to a conclusion that gender discrimination is in fact more prevalent in the Polish textbooks than in the Norwegian ones.

Образовательный и профессиональный выбор рабочей молодежи сервисных отраслей

The relationship between education, profession and social status in the modern global world is not obvious. A high level of education does not guarantee a professional career. The discrepancy between professional education and occupation is especially acute in the field of customer service. On the one hand, it reduces the quality of services provided and, on the other hand, causes tension among workers of this industry. The aim of the research is to study educational values, the choice of an educational trajectory and professional self-determination of modern working-class youth in the service industry. The article is based on the materials of an empirical study using quantitative and qualitative sociological methods: a mass survey of working-class youth in the Ural Federal District and a biographical interview, the informants of which are employed in the real sector of the economy and the service sector. The contradictory attitude of young service workers to education was revealed: not seeing the connection between the level and quality of education and the characteristics of their own life, young people are confident in the value of education and maintain a respectful attitude towards educated people. The personal significance of education for the new generation of working-class youth is small; the social prestige of education does not in any way affect personal life plans, including the professional choice. The established relationships between the educational and professional choice of working-class youth - the basic layer of the social structure of any society - can be used to organize vocational guidance work in secondary school, and can be in demand by the state and regional authorities of vocational education.

Determinants of knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices for COVID-19 infection in Goma, DRC

Purpose: In view of the resurgence of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the North Kivu province, particularly in Goma city, the epicenter of the disease, it is necessary to study the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the population of Goma city on COVID-19 infection.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 15 to August 15, 2021. A 3-degree cluster survey was conducted in Goma city, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bivariate and multivariate analyzes were performed by the STATA 15 software.Results: 1,194 individuals responded to the survey and had heard of COVID-19; 74.62% of the respondents had good knowledge, 77.39% had a positive attitude, and 45.48% practiced preventive measures against COVID-19. Determinants of good knowledge were the age groups 30-39 years and 40-49 years, secondary and higher/university educational levels, and not having suffered from COVID-19. Determinants of positive attitude were female sex, having a professional occupation, having a family member or close relative who had suffered from COVID-19, and living in the Karisimbi municipality. Determinants of better practice were female sex, secondary and higher/university educational levels, not having a professional occupation, and having a family member or close relative who had suffered from COVID-19.Conclusion: To effectively control this epidemic, it is essential to strengthening risk communication with full community participation. This strategy must be coupled with measures to make prevention methods available to the benefit of the entire population.