Civil Status Research Articles

Investigating the educational competency of student nurses in holistic nursing: Recalibrating holistic education

Teaching nursing students a holistic approach to patient care and integrating treatment modalities is a crucial component of traditional holistic nursing education. This study aims to investigate the educational competency of student nurses in holistic nursing by employing a descriptive comparative design among the 209 student nurses from the University of Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results showed that the student nurses perceived that they have been skillful in the following; professional, legal, and ethical nursing (3.22±.455), management (3.27±.492), leadership (3.29±.493), and professionalism (3.32±.505). On gender and professional, legal, and ethical nursing, there found significant gender differences (t=.822; p=.012). Also, management was found to have significant differences with gender (t=.281; p=.009). Leadership (t=-.694; p>488) and professionalism (t=.885; p>.377) were found to have no significant difference with gender. Moreover, the professional, legal, and ethical nursing (t=.822; p<.001) and management (t=.910; p<.001) were found to have significant differences with the age of the student nurses, while leadership (t=.231; p>.794), and professionalism (t=.270; p>.764) were found no significant difference with age. On civil status, there found a significant difference in professional, legal, and ethical nursing (t=1.337; p<0.001). Meanwhile, management (t=.992; p>.397), leadership (t=.142p>.935), and professionalism (t=1.122; p>.341) were found to have no significant difference with civil status. Incorporating holistic nursing into nursing courses and research programs would help educate student nurses for multicultural practice contexts as healthcare settings become more diverse.

A family history of suicide in bipolar disorders: powerful, powerless

IntroductionWhen completing the medical record of a patient with bipolar disoder (BD), hardly anything is more impacting than a family history of completed suicide (FHS). In fact, FHS is a main risk factor for personal suicide attempts and death in this population. There are few modifiable protective factors against suicide in BD, such as lithium treatment and absence of substance abuse.ObjectivesWe aimed to explore the relationship between a FHS and clinical characteristics in patients with BD. Given the impact that FHS has on the individual and on healthcare professionals, we hypothesized that it would modify behaviors towards a higher prevalence of the modifiable protective factors against suicide, namely more treatment with lithium and less drug addiction.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study that included all patients with BD that were followed up in a specialised unit between 1998 and 2020. Only subjects with complete information on FHS were retained for the analysis. We assessed sociodemographic and clinical data and described it with measures of frequency, central tendency and dispersion. Differences between subjects with and without FHS were calculated with χ², Fisher’s exact test and Student’s t-test as appropriate. We set the significance level at p≤0.05. All tests were two-tailed.ResultsThe sample consisted of 480 subjects with a mean age of 45.9 years (standard deviation 14.4, range 18-88), of which 54.4% (n=261) were women. 69.2% (n=332) had a diagnosis of BD type I and 30.8% (n=148) of BD type II. 77 subjects (16%) had a FHS. Regarding differences between groups, those with relatives who had committed suicide did not show statistically significant differences in terms of sociodemographic variables (age, gender, civil status, employment) or key clinical features (type of BD, illness duration, psychotic features, predominant polarity, rapid cycling, number of lifetime manic and depressive episodes, comorbid personality disorder), neither did they have a higher use of lithium (55.8% vs 59.3%, p=0.572) nor lower substance use disorder (10.9% vs 15.5%, p=0.34). Predictably, people with FHS had a higher prevalence of family history of mental and affective disorders (96.1% vs 70.9%, p<0.001; 86.3% vs 56.3%, p<0.001) and of stressful life events (71.6% vs 58.9%, p=0.05). Personal lifetime suicide attempts also tended to be higher (36.4% vs 26.7%, p=0.088).ConclusionsContrary to our hypothesis, in our sample of subjects with BD a FHS was not associated with a higher prevalence of the modifiable protective factors against suicide. Therefore, although suicide has a major impact both in families and healthcare professionals, our results suggest it does not modify attitudes towards prevention in a real-life scenario. The main limitation of our study is its cross-sectional design, which does not allow for causal inference. In conclusion, there is room for improvement in the fight against suicide.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Analysis of the demographic situation of the population of Kazakhstan during the years of independence (1991-2021)

This article analyzes the data on the number and natural growth (fertility and mortality) of the popu-lation of the Republic of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2021. The indicators used are the total fertility and mortality rates, as well as the natural growth rate. Births and deaths are vital events occurring in all coun-tries of the world, and the registration of these events is of paramount importance for assessing the natu-ral increase (or decrease) and annual changes in the number and structure of the population. The level of registration of births and deaths in the country largely reflects the level of recognition of the importance of statistics of natural population movement as an important contribution to human development plan-ning. The article provides a comparative analysis of the overall mortality rate and life expectancy at birth by gender and regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The results of the analysis showed, that certain periods in Kazakhstan are characterized by trends towards a decrease in the total birth rate, followed by growth trends and the establishment of stability of this indicator. In order to analyze the demographic situation, the general indicators of fertility and mortality in Kazakhstan were collected. During the period from 1992 to 2001, there was a decrease in the population, with a significant decrease in 1994-1998 and a turning point in dynamics in 2002. The authors of the article analyzed the results of the National Population Census – 2021 in relation to the population of Kazakhstan. Key words: population, population pyramid, ethnic groups, natural growth, fertility, mortality, life expectancy, population census.

Hardiness of Nurses in a Philippine Tertiary Healthcare Institution

The aim of the investigation was to determine the level of hardiness of the nurses of a government hospital in Cebu City, Philippines. Hardiness is a personality construct composed of three characteristics: 1) control - described as a belief that people could control or influence the events of their experience; 2) commitment - depicted as an ability to feel deeply involved in the activities in their lives; and 3) challenge - illustrated as anticipating change as an exciting challenge to further development. The descriptive method of research was utilized and the normative survey technique was used to accumulate data. The Hardiness Self-Assessment Questionnaire served as the tool for data collection. All the nurses of the research locale and a sixty – five percent representative sample of the nurse employees were the respondents. The research was conducted from March 6 – 19, 2011. The subjects showed moderate level of hardiness with regard to sex, age, civil status, position in the institution, years of employment as a nurse in the organization, and educational attainment. The overall average hardiness score of all the participants in the study is 5.23. The nurse employees exhibited a moderate level of hardiness.

Reducing inequities in maternal and child health in rural Guatemala through the CBIO+ Approach of Curamericas: 5. Mortality assessment

BackgroundThe Curamericas/Guatemala Maternal and Child Health Project, 2011–2015, implemented the Census-Based, Impact-Oriented Approach, the Care Group Approach, and the Community Birthing Center Approach. Together, this expanded set of approaches is known as CBIO+. This is the fifth of 10 papers in our supplement describing the Project and the effectiveness of the CBIO+ Approach. This paper assesses causes, levels, and risk factors for mortality along with changes in mortality.MethodsThe Project maintained Vital Events Registers and conducted verbal autopsies for all deaths of women of reproductive age and under-5 children. Mortality rates and causes of death were derived from these data. To increase the robustness of our findings, we also indirectly estimated mortality decline using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST).FindingsThe leading causes of maternal and under-5 mortality were postpartum hemorrhage and pneumonia, respectively. Home births were associated with an eight-fold increased risk of both maternal (p = 0.01) and neonatal (p = 0.00) mortality. The analysis of vital events data indicated that maternal mortality declined from 632 deaths per 100,000 live births in Years 1 and 2 to 257 deaths per 100,000 live birth in Years 3 and 4, a decline of 59.1%. The vital events data revealed no observable decline in neonatal or under-5 mortality. However, the 12–59-month mortality rate declined from 9 deaths per 1000 live births in the first three years of the Project to 2 deaths per 1000 live births in the final year. The LiST model estimated a net decline of 12, 5, and 22% for maternal, neonatal and under-5 mortality, respectively.ConclusionThe baseline maternal mortality ratio is one of the highest in the Western hemisphere. There is strong evidence of a decline in maternal mortality in the Project Area. The evidence of a decline in neonatal and under-5 mortality is less robust. Childhood pneumonia and neonatal conditions were the leading causes of under-5 mortality. Expanding access to evidence-based community-based interventions for (1) prevention of postpartum hemorrhage, (2) home-based neonatal care, and (3) management of childhood pneumonia could help further reduce mortality in the Project Area and in similar areas of Guatemala and beyond.

COVID-19 impact on opioid overdose after jail release in Massachusetts

IntroductionRelease from incarceration is a high-risk period for opioid overdose. Concern about COVID-19 spread in jails led to early releases; it is unknown whether pandemic era releases of persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) contributed to increases in community overdose rates. MethodsObservational data compared overdose rates three months after release among jailed persons with OUD released before (9/1/2019–3/9/2020) and during the pandemic (3/10/2020–8/10/2020) from seven jails in Massachusetts. Data on overdoses come from the Massachusetts Ambulance Trip Record Information System and Registry of Vital Records Death Certificate file. Other information came from jail administrative data. Logistic models regressed overdose on release period, controlling for MOUD received, county of release, race/ethnicity, sex, age, and prior overdose. ResultsPandemic releases with OUD had a higher risk of fatal overdose (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.06; 95% CI, 1.49 to 6.26); 20 persons released with OUD (1.3%) experienced a fatal overdose within three months of release, versus 14 (0.5%) pre-pandemic. MOUD had no detectable relationship with overdose mortality. Pandemic release did not impact non-fatal overdose rates (aOR 0.84; 95% CI 0.60 to 1.18), though in-jail methadone treatment was protective (aOR 0.34; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.67). ConclusionsPersons with OUD released from jail during the pandemic experienced higher overdose mortality compared to pre-pandemic, but the number of deaths was small. They did not experience significantly different rates of non-fatal overdose. Early jail releases during the pandemic were unlikely to explain much, if any, of the observed increase in community overdoses in Massachusetts.

Perceived Health Risks among Teachers Working Remotely in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic gained prominence and posed a threat to the traditional education system when quarantine was implemented. The teachers' workload increased as work from home was mandated. As a result of working remotely, the teachers experience challenges in their physical, mental, and socio-emotional health. This study evaluated the health risks as perceived by teachers in a tertiary educational institution working remotely during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of physical, mental, and socio-emotional health. It also aimed to describe the socio-demographic profile of the respondents and determined their current health problems. 
 
 A cross-sectional descriptive study design was utilized. The respondents were selected using a non-probability convenience sampling technique and data were collected using a researcher-made Likert-type questionnaire adapted from the Occupational Safety and Health Standards by DOLE (2022). Content and construct validity were accomplished through expert reviews and reliability testing was established through a Cronbach alpha coefficient value of 0.950. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as Z-test and ANOVA for the test of difference. The demographic profile of the respondents indicated a majority belonging to the College of Arts and Sciences, mostly of married civil status, and predominantly female with ages ranging from 41 to 50. The dominant ranks showed Instructors I, II, and III while time engagement in educational technology ranged from 3 hours and above but not greater than 6 hours. The respondents' perceived physical, mental, and socio-emotional health risks revealed a moderate risk as supported by an overall grand mean of 2.629. The physical risk was primarily associated with musculoskeletal problems and had the highest grand mean of 3.038, signifying a moderate level of risk. On the other hand, mental and socio-emotional dimensions were both perceived as low risks, with corresponding grand means of 2.525 and 2.323 respectively. Further results highlighted that level of health risks has a significant difference when grouped according to age (p-value of 0.0012) and academic rank (p-value of 0.0019), thus rejecting the null hypothesis. Sex, marital status, college affiliation, and time engagement in education technology demonstrated no significant difference at all. Health Optimization Practices for Educators (HOPE) was crafted to address health risks by promoting health and wellness through knowledge enhancement. Future studies akin to teachers’ health risks while working remotely need to be explored in the areas of ergonomics and occupational hazards.

Use of Antiepileptic Drugs and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Nationwide Case-Control Study in Prostate Cancer Data Base Sweden.

An inverse association between use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and prostate cancer (PCa) has been suggested, putatively due to the histone deacetylases inhibitory (HDACi) properties of the AEDs. In a case-control study in Prostate Cancer data Base Sweden (PCBaSe), PCa cases diagnosed between 2014 and 2016 were matched to five controls by year of birth and county of residence. AED prescriptions were identified in the Prescribed Drug Registry. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for risk of PCa were estimated using multivariable conditional logistic regression, adjusted for civil status, education level, Charlson comorbidity index, number of outpatient visits, and cumulative duration of hospital stay. Dose responses in different PCa risk categories and HDACi properties of specific AED substances were further explored. 1738/31591 (5.5%) cases and 9674/156802 (6.2%) controls had been exposed to AED. Overall, users of any AED had a reduced risk of PCa as compared to nonusers (OR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.87-0.97) which was attenuated by adjustment to healthcare utilisation. A reduced risk was also observed in all models for high-risk or metastatic PCa in AED users compared to nonusers (OR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.81-0.97). No significant findings were observed for dose response or HDACi analyses. Our findings suggest a weak inverse association between AED use and PCa risk, which was attenuated by adjustment for healthcare utilisation. Moreover, our study showed no consistent dose-response pattern and no support for a stronger reduction related to HDAC inhibition. Further studies focusing on advanced PCa and PCa treatments are needed to better analyse the association between use of AED and risk of PCa.

RNA-seq analysis reveals the effect of the metamorphic cue (juvenile oysters) on the Rapana venosa larvae

As a vital developmental event, metamorphosis controls the population dynamics of most marine invertebrates and affects the breeding of economic shellfish. Rapana venosa is an economically important species in China, but artificial aquaculture has hampered its metamorphosis process. Previous studies have found that juvenile oysters can effectively induce the metamorphosis of R. venosa, but the specific induction mechanism is not clear. Here, we investigated the mechanism underlying the response of R. venosa to juvenile oysters through the RNA-seq analysis. In this study, the gene set responses to metamorphosis cues (juvenile oysters) in R. venosa were identified, and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were further performed on these gene sets. The results showed that the expression of the prototype of the class of immediate early genes, the transcription factor AP-1, was rapidly and significantly increased, and the molecular chaperone of NOS, HSP90, exhibited lower expression in the M12 group than in the control group. In contrast, the expression of inhibitors of apoptosis (IAPs) was significantly increased upon exposure to juvenile oysters. Additionally, the Wnt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway were enriched in the trend analysis. These pathways may also play critical regulatory roles in the response to juvenile oysters. Taken together, the results show that competent larvae rapidly respond to the inducing effects of oysters via some immediate early genes, such as the transcription factor AP-1, which may further regulate downstream pathways such as the MAPK signaling pathway to cause subsequent changes, including a decrease in HSP90 and an increase in IAPs. These changes together may regulate the metamorphosis of R. venosa. This study provides further evidence that juvenile oysters are the metamorphosis cues of R. venosa, which may enhance our understanding of the metamorphosis mechanism in this marine invertebrate.

Alternative Mechanism for O2 Formation in Natural Photosynthesis via Nucleophilic Oxo-Oxo Coupling.

O2 formation in photosystem II (PSII) is a vital event on Earth, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. The presently prevailing theoretical model is "radical coupling" (RC) involving a Mn(IV)-oxyl unit in an "open-cubane" Mn4CaO6 cluster, which is supported experimentally by the S3 state of cyanobacterial PSII featuring an additional Mn-bound oxygenic ligand. However, it was recently proposed that the major structural form of the S3 state of higher plants lacks this extra ligand, and that the resulting S4 state would feature instead a penta-coordinate dangler Mn(V)=oxo, covalently linked to a "closed-cubane" Mn3CaO4 cluster. For this proposal, we explore here a large number of possible pathways of O-O bond formation and demonstrate that the "nucleophilic oxo-oxo coupling" (NOOC) between Mn(V)=oxo and μ3-oxo is the only eligible mechanism in such a system. The reaction is facilitated by a specific conformation of the cluster and concomitant water binding, which is delayed compared to the RC mechanism. An energetically feasible process is described starting from the valid S4 state through the sequential formation of peroxide and superoxide, followed by O2 release and a second water insertion. The newly found mechanism is consistent with available experimental thermodynamic and kinetic data and thus a viable alternative pathway for O2 formation in natural photosynthesis, in particular for higher plants.

Small Area Forecasting of Opioid-Related Mortality: Bayesian Spatiotemporal Dynamic Modeling Approach

Opioid-related overdose mortality has remained at crisis levels across the United States, increasing 5-fold and worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ability to provide forecasts of opioid-related mortality at granular geographical and temporal scales may help guide preemptive public health responses. Current forecasting models focus on prediction on a large geographical scale, such as states or counties, lacking the spatial granularity that local public health officials desire to guide policy decisions and resource allocation. The overarching objective of our study was to develop Bayesian spatiotemporal dynamic models to predict opioid-related mortality counts and rates at temporally and geographically granular scales (ie, ZIP Code Tabulation Areas [ZCTAs]) for Massachusetts. We obtained decedent data from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics for 2005 through 2019. We developed Bayesian spatiotemporal dynamic models to predict opioid-related mortality across Massachusetts' 537 ZCTAs. We evaluated the prediction performance of our models using the one-year ahead approach. We investigated the potential improvement of prediction accuracy by incorporating ZCTA-level demographic and socioeconomic determinants. We identified ZCTAs with the highest predicted opioid-related mortality in terms of rates and counts and stratified them by rural and urban areas. Bayesian dynamic models with the full spatial and temporal dependency performed best. Inclusion of the ZCTA-level demographic and socioeconomic variables as predictors improved the prediction accuracy, but only in the model that did not account for the neighborhood-level spatial dependency of the ZCTAs. Predictions were better for urban areas than for rural areas, which were more sparsely populated. Using the best performing model and the Massachusetts opioid-related mortality data from 2005 through 2019, our models suggested a stabilizing pattern in opioid-related overdose mortality in 2020 and 2021 if there were no disruptive changes to the trends observed for 2005-2019. Our Bayesian spatiotemporal models focused on opioid-related overdose mortality data facilitated prediction approaches that can inform preemptive public health decision-making and resource allocation. While sparse data from rural and less populated locales typically pose special challenges in small area predictions, our dynamic Bayesian models, which maximized information borrowing across geographic areas and time points, were used to provide more accurate predictions for small areas. Such approaches can be replicated in other jurisdictions and at varying temporal and geographical levels. We encourage the formation of a modeling consortium for fatal opioid-related overdose predictions, where different modeling techniques could be ensembled to inform public health policy.

Preparation for Childbirth: Coping with the Fear of Childbirth

Pregnancy is a vital event in a woman's life that involves not only important physical changes, but also psychological changes [...].

Executive functioning as mediator of the association between traumatic brain injury and prison bullying

ABSTRACT Objective This study examined whether executive functioning (EF) mediated the relationship between childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) and engaging in bullying in prison (BP) Participants A sample of male adults in custody in Uruguay (N = 236), drawn from five prisons. Methods Inmates filled out self-report questionnaires examining TBI (Head Injury Questionnaire), EF (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Adult, BRIEF-A) and bullying in prison (Direct and Indirect Prisoner Behavior Checklist – revised, SCALED, DIPC-SCALED-r). Results Findings showed that TBI was associated with prison bullying after controlling for age, level of education, socioeconomic status, and civil status. The mediation analysis indicated that the relationship between TBI and bullying was fully mediated via executive impairment, especially through the behavioral regulation component (mainly inhibition and emotional control). Conclusion These findings suggested that compensating for EF difficulties in adult inmates with brain injuries might help to decrease the bullying in prison.

Pelaksanaan Pengawasan Keimigrasian Terkait Kepatuhan Pelaporan Perubahan Alamat Orang Asing

The purpose of this study is to clarify the status of the implementation of immigration control related to the handling of foreign address change registration and to clarify the efforts and obstacles made by Immigration Class I TPI Tanjung Perak. Compliance with the registration of change of address for foreigners. Based on Article 71 (a) of Law no. 6/2011 which states that every foreigner who is in Indonesian territory is required to provide all information in the form of his/her identity and family and to report any change in civil status, citizenship, employment, guarantor, and change of address to the local Immigration Office. As for the role of immigration in monitoring the movement of foreigners entering and leaving Indonesian territory as well as the presence and activities of foreigners within Indonesian territory, repressive measures are required to apply administrative and criminal sanctions to support immigration enforcement. The method used in this research is normative-empirical research. The results of this study found that foreigners entering Indonesian territory must be accurately registered at the TPI immigration data center upon arrival and supervised in detecting the presence of foreigners in certain areas, thus ensuring complete foreigners with adequate documents. clarity. Obstacles or problems that arise in the implementation of immigration control, such as a lack of personnel to transfer information, duties, and functions of administrative and external supervision. The steps taken to explore these obstacles are expected to maximize the performance of licensed immigration officers in carrying out their immigration functions.

Awareness and Practices on Coastal Resource Management of Public High School Teachers in the Province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines

This study determined the level of awareness and practices on Coastal Resource Management of public secondary teachers in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. A descriptive research design was used in this study, and the statistical tools that were used to gather and treat data were frequency and percentage, weighted mean, and bivariate correlation analysis. Results of the study showed that the respondents were much aware of Coastal Resource Management with respect to the degradation of coastal habitats, overfishing, and open access to fishery resources, coastal law enforcement, and resource use of conflict and pollution. The respondents often practiced Coastal Resource Management with respect to the degradation of coastal habitats, overfishing and open access to fishery resources, coastal law enforcement, and resource use of conflict and pollution. Age, sex, civil status, educational attainment, and religious affiliation had a significant relationship with the level of awareness, while teachers' rank and sources of information had no significant relationship with the level of awareness on Coastal Resource Management. On the other hand, age, educational attainment, rank, monthly income, and sources of information (printed and broadcast) had a significant relationship with the level of practice, while sex, civil status, religious affiliation, and sources of information (printed) had no significant relationship with the level of practice on Coastal Resource Management. Moreover, age, civil status, educational attainment, rank, and sources of information had a significant relationship with the level of awareness and level of practice, while sex, religious affiliation, and sources of information (printed) had no significant relationship with the level of awareness and level of practice on Coastal Resource Management.

Job Satisfaction of Non-Teaching Its Relationship to University Policies and Leadership Styles Linked to Their Performance: Based for Proposed Program

Abstract: This study endeavored to determine work competence and job satisfaction of non-teaching personnel at Taguig City University and to formulate a proposed training program. A total of one hundred twenty-one (121) non-teaching staffs as respondents was drawn using purposive sampling technique. It employed descriptive method of research with emphasis on survey method using a researcher-made instrument. Further, it sought to answer the questions on demographic profile, work competence, and level of job satisfaction. The frequencies, percentages, weighted means, ANOVA, and chi-square were the statistical measures utilized. Results revealed that there was only a slight difference as to their sex due to very close interval. Half of the respondents are college graduate and most of them have a casual employment status with the range of 1-3 years in service. The study also found out that work competence level of non-teaching personnel was competent when it comes to oral, written communication and information communication technology. Also, they are highly competent when it comes to work ethics. On the other hand, job satisfactions of non-teaching personnel are highly satisfied in supervision, nature of work, interpersonal relationship and commitment. Furthermore, results showed that age affects the work competence level in terms of information and communication technology, work ethics and written communication while the civil status affects their work competence level in oral communication, written communication and information and communication technology. However, level of work competence in terms of information and communication technology, oral communication, written communication and work ethics do not depend on their sex. Also, their level of work competence in terms of oral communication, information and communication technology, work ethics and written communication depends on their educational attainment. Moreover, length of service does not affect their work competence level in terms of written communication, information and information technology and work ethics. But, the work competence in oral and written communication depends on their employment status and among the seven variables on job satisfaction, work competence does not depend on salary. Keywords: Work Competence, Job Satisfaction, Training P

Mortality of Russian Railways employees from cardio-vascular diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction. Diseases of cardiovascular system are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among the able-bodied population. There have been no studies of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on cardiovascular mortality in Russian Railways. The study aims to analyze the mortality of Russian Railways employees from diseases of the circulatory system during the COVID-19 pandemic with the working-age population of the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. The study was carried out on the basis of data obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2021). Information on the mortality of employees of JSC "Russian Railways" is formed on the basis of the data of the CHUZ of JSC "Russian Railways". Information about the natural movement of the working-age population was formed on the basis of data from the Unified State Register of Civil Status Records. Results. During the pandemic, the mortality rate in JSC "Russian Railways" was 2.2 times lower compared to the working-age population of the country. Excess mortality by road polygons was different. The maximum mortality rate (3.4 per 1000 employees) was among employees of enterprises of central subordination, the minimum (2.1) was on the Northern Railway. 82.5% of deaths occurred in men, while the mortality rate among men is 2 times higher compared to women. The main cause of death of workers were diseases of the circulatory system (BSC) - 28.7%. The mortality rate from BSK in JSC "Russian Railways" was 0.656, which is 2.9 times lower than for the working-age population of Russia. Conclusion. The study showed that under the conditions of a new coronavirus infection, the mortality rate from circulatory system diseases in Russian Railways employees is lower than in working-age population of Russia. Ethics. We have carried out this study in accordance with the rules of good clinical practice and the Helsinki Declaration. The study did not require the conclusion of the Ethics committee.

Continuity of Life After Retirement: Perspectives Among Selected Public School Educators of Nueva Ecija

This research determined the perspectives of retiring teachers about life after retirement. A researcher-made survey tool was developed using a descriptive correlational method and went through the standard procedure of validation and reliability, gaining a 0.945 Cronbach’s Alpha mark. The tool was administered to 148 retiring teachers. Responses were statistically treated using frequency, percentage, mean and Pearson r correlations. Results revealed that the majority of the 148 respondents fell in 50-55 bracket while 13 belong to 61-65. Of the same total, 132 were female and 16 were male. In terms of civil status, 126 were married, and only two (2) were single. In terms of monthly income, 47 representing the majority has 21,000-30,000 monthly incomes in pesos. The educational attainment with the highest number was bachelors degree with masteral units, had 101 respondents. Five (5) were in an ongoing doctorate course, the lowest in number. Teachers who were about to retire have assessed themselves having good health condition both physical and mental functioning. Further, when it comes to life continuity after retirement, they assured themselves of absence of disease and disease-related disability. It was also determined that in life continuity perspective, their topmost choice was “they will uphold the values of being an educator (M=3.53)”. Relevant to life course perspective, they banked the intention that “they will be active in church (M=3.55)” as their preference and in terms of life role perspective, they opted to “they will take care of their family, especially their grandchildren (M=3.61)” as their priority role. Significant relations were also established in reference to their demographic profile and the domains of life continuity theory. It was recommended that teachers themselves must be more cautious and diligent as they plan and prepare for their retirement. Future researchers were also encouraged to pursue similar topics for further scrutiny of life after retirement.

Leadership Competencies and Performance of Managers in Selected Universities in Region II: Basis for Development Plan

Enhancing leadership competencies is crucial for non-academic employees to get promoted to an extant position. This study determined the leadership competencies of managers in a university as a basis for a development plan. More so, it used descriptive and correlational research methods and utilized weighted mean, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation, and Friedman test for data analysis. The embedded design in the mixed method technique was used for data collection of the five-leadership competency cluster on People, Team, Execution, Education (foundation), and Technical among the 123 respondents from three universities. Descriptive and correlational research method was utilized. Weighted mean, Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and Friedman test were used for data analysis. Key findings showed that females subjugated the non-academic discipline were mostly mid-’50s, married, finished a higher degree, and enjoyed a career for about 16-20 years. The most developed leadership competency was the technical cluster. SUCs managers were rated as more competent than private managers. On the assessment made by managers regarding the level of leadership competency based on demographic profile, the result showed that sex, age, civil status, educational attainment, and years in service had no significant effect. The correlation between performance rating and level of competencies has no significance. Using the assessed leadership competencies, a development plan for employees in the non-teaching position was crafted. Keywords: leadership competency, non-academic employees, development plan, performance rating

Professional Behavior, Work Attitude and the Teaching Competence of Primary Education Teachers in the New Normal

This study sought to better understand the relationship between professional behavior and work attitude to the teaching competence of 127 primary education teachers of Candelaria West District, Division of Quezon, and its moderating factors in the New Normal. The use of descriptive-correlational research revealed that the majority of the respondents are female, 26 -30 years old, married, Bachelor’s degree holders, with either below 4 years or 11 to 20 years of experience, Teacher I, and from a large school. Findings indicate it was perceived that their professional behavior is very satisfactory in terms of adaptability, integrity, professionalism, and efficiency as well as in work attitude as to commitment, punctuality, and cooperation. In terms of teaching competence such as mastery of the subject matter, teaching skills, classroom management, evaluation skills, and personal skills, teachers are highly competent. Additionally, teaching competence is significantly interrelated to both the professional behavior and work attitude of teachers. Civil status, designation, and type of school do not affect teachers’ professional behavior, work attitudes, and teaching competence. Keywords: professional behavior, work attitude, teaching competence