Doing Gender in Public Services: Affective Labour of Employment Agents

The restructuring of state bureaucracies into service organi zations and the new welfare state paradigm of activation have changed the work requirements of front-line workers in public employment agencies across Europe. Public employment agents are less engaged in bureaucratic labour, but have to perform service work. They use affective means to motivate and to monitor and sanction jobseekers. This article provides evidence that these transformations in Aus tria, Germany and Switzerland did not suspend the gender ing of public service work. We discovered four typical modes of affectively enacting the state: both male and female employment agents follow feminized service work pat terns or masculinized entrepreneurial norms. To prevent a possible loss of their professional status, some employment agents reinterpret affective labour as professional service work that demands high expertise. Others resist the activa tion paradigm by performing traditionally feminized care work or by still adhering to affect-neutral male bureaucratic work

Study of hot deformation behavior of CuFe2 alloy

Nil strength temperature of 1062 degrees C and nil ductility temperature of 1040 degrees C were experimentally set for CuFe2 alloy. The highest formability at approx. 1020 degrees C is unusable due to massive grain coarsening. The local minimum of ductility around the temperature 910 degrees C is probably due to minor formation of gamma-iron. In the forming temperatures interval 650-950 degrees C and strain rate 0.1-10 s(-1) the flow stress curves were obtained and after their analysis hot deformation activation energy of 380 kJ.mol(-1) was achieved. Peak stress and corresponding peak strain values were mathematically described with good accuracy by equations depending on Zener-Hollomon parameter.Web of Science64270670

Immunomodulatory effects of preparations from Anthroposophical Medicine for parenteral use

BACKGROUND: Preparations from anthroposophical medicine (AM) are clinically used to treat inflammatory disorders. We wanted to investigate effects of a selection of AM medications for parenteral use in cell-based systems in vitro. METHODS: Colchicum officinale tuber D3, Mandragora D3, Rosmarinus officinale 5 % and Bryophyllum 5 % were selected for the experiments. Induction of apoptosis and necrosis (human lymphocytes and dendritic cells [DCs]) and proliferation of lymphocytes as well as maturation (expression of CD14, CD83 and CD86) and cytokine secretion (IL-10, IL12p70) of DCs were analyzed. Furthermore, proliferation of allogeneic human T lymphocytes was investigated in vitro in coculture experiments using mature DCs in comparison to controls. RESULTS: The respective preparations did not induce apoptosis or necrosis in lymphocytes or DCs. Lymphocyte proliferation was dose-dependently reduced by Colchicum officinale tuber D3 while the viability was unchanged. Rosmarinus officinale 5 %, but not the other preparations, dose-dependently inhibited the maturation of immature DCs, reduced secretion of IL-10 and IL-12p70 and slightly inhibited proliferation of allogeneic CD4(+) T-lymphocytes in coculture experiments with DCs. CONCLUSION: The selected preparations from AM for parenteral use are nontoxic to lymphocytes and DCs. Rosmarinus officinale 5 % has immunosuppressive properties on key functions of the immune system which propose further investigation

Conditions of Entry and Residence of Third Country Highly Qualified and Highly Skilled Workers: the Situation in Germany

Die Zuwanderung von Fachkräften und hoch Qualifizierten ist ein in den letzten Jahren verstärkt diskutiertes Thema. Sowohl auf dem deutschen als auch auf dem internationalen Arbeitsmarkt ist die gegenwärtige Situation durch hohe Arbeitslosigkeit bei gleichzeitigem Fachkräftemangel gekennzeichnet. In ihrer Mitteilung "Strategischer Plan zur legalen Zuwanderung" (2005) schlägt die Kommission der Europäischen Gemeinschaften vor, eine Richtlinie für die Einreise und den Aufenthalt hoch qualifizierter Arbeitnehmer aus Drittstaaten zu konzipieren. Um Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede bei Bedarf und Zugang von hoch qualifizierten Arbeitskräften in den Mitgliedsstaaten zu identifizieren, hat die Kommission die vorliegende Studie in Auftrag gegeben. Die Auswertungen zeigen, dass die Zahl der hochrangig beschäftigten Ausländer in den letzten Jahren gestiegen ist, vor allem aus den neuen EU-Mitgliedstaaten. Insgesamt liegt der Anteil der hochrangig beschäftigten Ausländer aber deutlich unterhalb des entsprechenden Anteils bei den Deutschen. Dabei ist jedoch die Struktur bei den einzelnen Nationalitäten sehr unterschiedlich: Während aus den USA, China oder der russischen Föderation ein hoher Anteil an hochrangig Beschäftigten und Hochqualifizierten zu verzeichnen ist, liegt der Anteil z.B. bei Personen aus der Türkei weit unterhalb des Durchschnittes. Working Paper 9 basiert auf der Small Scale Study III: "Conditions of Entry and Residence of Third Country Highly-Skilled Workers in the EU" des Europäischen Migrationsnetzwerks. Es gibt einen Überblick über die gesetzlichen Grundlagen des Zugangs von hoch qualifizierten Drittstaatsangehörigen und ihren Familienangehörigen. Rechte und Pflichten dieser Zuwanderergruppe sind ebenso Teil dieser Studie wie Programme und Erfahrungen der Anwerbung.In recent years, public debate has increasingly focussed on migration inflows of specialists and other highly qualified workers. The current situation on German as well as on international labour markets is characterised by high levels of unemployment accompanied by a simultaneous shortage of experts and specialised personnel. In "Strategic Plan for Legal Migration" (2005) the EU Commission has presented proposals for a directive on the entry and residence entitlements for highly qualified workers from third countries. In order to identify similarities and differences among member states concerning the demand and the conditions of entry for highly qualified workers, the European Commission has commissioned the member states to compile the Small-Scale Study III of the EMN. The Working Paper as part of the study provides an overview of the legal requirements for the entry of highly qualified third-country nationals and their family members. The study will also focuses on rights and obligations of this group of migrants, and provides information on recruitment programmes and respective experiences. The concluding part of the study comprises in-depth statistical information

Are General Managers Well Prepared to Manage It? the Role of it in General MBA Programmes in Australia

This paper reports on the results from a survey of the provision of information technology (IT) course units in general MBA programmes in Australia. The results establish a baseline for future studies. They show widespread penetration of IT courses in general MBAs, but the amount and type of content they provide is only sufficient to give students a partial preparation for the general management task with respect to IT. There is an internal expectation gap between what IT academics view as core and the time and space available in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) curriculum. There is an external expectation gap between the issues currently of concern to business and the topics taught. At present the gap is widest in respect of business managers’ concerns about information infrastructure and organizational learning. The evidence suggests that neither expectation gap will decline over the next 5 years and may increase. We conclude that there is a need for increased provision in the curriculum. Recommendations are made for two core courses, with more attention to be given to topics of current concern to business managers

Migration von hoch Qualifizierten und hochrangig Beschäftigten aus Drittstaaten nach Deutschland

Die Zuwanderung von Fachkräften und hoch Qualifizierten ist ein in den letzten Jahren verstärkt diskutiertes Thema. Sowohl auf dem deutschen als auch auf dem internationalen Arbeitsmarkt ist die gegenwärtige Situation durch hohe Arbeitslosigkeit bei gleichzeitigem Fachkräftemangel gekennzeichnet. In ihrer Mitteilung "Strategischer Plan zur legalen Zuwanderung" (2005) schlägt die Kommission der Europäischen Gemeinschaften vor, eine Richtlinie für die Einreise und den Aufenthalt hoch qualifizierter Arbeitnehmer aus Drittstaaten zu konzipieren. Um Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede bei Bedarf und Zugang von hoch qualifizierten Arbeitskräften in den Mitgliedsstaaten zu identifizieren, hat die Kommission die vorliegende Studie in Auftrag gegeben. Die Auswertungen zeigen, dass die Zahl der hochrangig beschäftigten Ausländer in den letzten Jahren gestiegen ist, vor allem aus den neuen EU-Mitgliedstaaten. Insgesamt liegt der Anteil der hochrangig beschäftigten Ausländer aber deutlich unterhalb des entsprechenden Anteils bei den Deutschen. Dabei ist jedoch die Struktur bei den einzelnen Nationalitäten sehr unterschiedlich: Während aus den USA, China oder der russischen Föderation ein hoher Anteil an hochrangig Beschäftigten und Hochqualifizierten zu verzeichnen ist, liegt der Anteil z.B. bei Personen aus der Türkei weit unterhalb des Durchschnittes. Working Paper 9 basiert auf der Small Scale Study III: "Conditions of Entry and Residence of Third Country Highly-Skilled Workers in the EU" des Europäischen Migrationsnetzwerks. Es gibt einen Überblick über die gesetzlichen Grundlagen des Zugangs von hoch qualifizierten Drittstaatsangehörigen und ihren Familienangehörigen. Rechte und Pflichten dieser Zuwanderergruppe sind ebenso Teil dieser Studie wie Programme und Erfahrungen der Anwerbung.In recent years, public debate has increasingly focussed on migration inflows of specialists and other highly qualified workers. The current situation on German as well as on international labour markets is characterised by high levels of unemployment accompanied by a simultaneous shortage of experts and specialised personnel. In "Strategic Plan for Legal Migration" (2005) the EU Commission has presented proposals for a directive on the entry and residence entitlements for highly qualified workers from third countries. In order to identify similarities and differences among member states concerning the demand and the conditions of entry for highly qualified workers, the European Commission has commissioned the member states to compile the Small-Scale Study III of the EMN. The Working Paper as part of the study provides an overview of the legal requirements for the entry of highly qualified third-country nationals and their family members. The study will also focuses on rights and obligations of this group of migrants, and provides information on recruitment programmes and respective experiences. The concluding part of the study comprises in-depth statistical information

Transforming Medical Professional Training: Exploring the Metaverse in Education

Investigating the transformative potential of the metaverse in medical professional training, our research explores its usage for education. Through a systematic literature review (SLR) and a qualitative study based on scenario-based expert interviews, we delve into the current state of research and practical applications of the metaverse in medical education. Our findings comprehensively analyze the opportunities and challenges associated with metaverse technology and underscore its capacity to transform medical training. Furthermore, the results indicate directions for further research to navigate the challenges effectively and maximize the opportunities offered by the metaverse

Burnout bei PsychotherapeutInnen: Eine Studie bei Klientenzentrierten PsychotherapeutInnen in Österreich

Burnout ist ein häufig beobachtetes Problem psychosozialer Helferberufe. Da bisher klientenzentrierte PsychotherapeutInnen kaum untersucht wurden, wurde eine Totalerhebung dieser Gruppe (N = 535) in Österreich mittels DPCCQ (SPR-Collaborative Research Network-Common Core Questionnaire), der das Maslach-Burnout-Inventory (MBI) als Burnout-Indikator enthält, durchgeführt. 101 TherapeutInnen (= 20,8 %) beantworteten die postalische Befragung. Die Ausprägung von Burnout war insgesamt gering: Ca. 8 % berichteten von hoher und weitere 25 % von mittlerer emotionaler Erschöpfung. Bivariate Analysen zeigten signifikante Zusammenhänge zwischen Burnout und der wahrgenommenen Kontrolle über wichtige Arbeitsbedingungen, der Anzahl behandelter PatientInnen, der Zufriedenheit mit der therapeutischen Tätigkeit und den zur Bewältigung von Arbeitsbelastungen eingesetzten Strategien. Keine Effekte konnten für Geschlecht, Alter, Erfahrung und institutionelle Zugehörigkeit sowie die wahrgenommene Soziale Unterstützung gefunden werden. Multivariate Auswertungen (Regressionsanalysen) erbrachten, dass Burnout offensichtlich durch eine Balance aus belastenden und protektiven Bedingungen bestimmt wird: „Zufriedenheit mit der therapeutischen Tätigkeit“ erwies sich als Burnout protektiv, „Mangel an Kontrolle über die PatientInnenauswahl“, die Anzahl behandelter PatientInnen und negatives Coping waren Burnout fördernd.Burnout in psychotherapists. A study with client-centred therapists in Austria. Burn-out is a problem often experienced by professional helpers. Because until recently client-centred psychotherapists have rarely been subject to research, a group in Austria was studied using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the German version of the “Development of Psychotherapists-Common Core Questionnaire” (DPCCQ). These were developed by Orlinsky and his coworkers from the Society of Psychotherapy Research (SPR) as a measure for the determinants of burnout. 20.8% (n = 101) of the original sample (N = 535) took part in the study. Client-centred therapists obviously do not suffer very intensely from burnout: Approximately 8% reported having intense feelings of emotional exhaustion and another 25% to have mild to moderate ones. Objective variables such as gender, age, family status and professional training do not influence burnout, nor do other variables such as perceived social support, personal therapy and supervision in the past and at present. However, job-satisfaction, the number of patients in therapy, having control over important working conditions and a negative coping style with work-stress, correlated highly with burnout. Linear regression analyses led to the conclusion that burnout obviously is influenced by stressful conditions as well as by protective ones. “Satisfaction with their therapeutic work” was the most important protective factor; the “number of patients”, “not having control over the selection of their patients” and “avoidant and passive coping behaviours” were the factors which induced burnout the most

Estimating oil-palm Si storage, Si return to soils and Si losses through harvest in smallholder oil-palm plantations of Sumatra, Indonesia

Silicon (Si) is known to have multiple beneficial effects on crops. Most plant-available Si in soils is provided through litter decomposition and subsequent phytolith dissolution, especially in strongly desilicated tropical soils. The importance of Si cycling in tropical soil-plant systems raised the question if oil-palm cultivation, the oil palm being a Si-accumulating crop, alters Si cycling. As Si accumulates in plant tissue, we hypothesized that i) Si is stored in the aboveground biomass of oil palms with time, and that ii) the system might lose considerable amounts of Si every year through fruit-bunch harvest. To test these hypotheses, we sampled leaflets, the rachis, fruit-bunch stalk, fruit pulp, kernels and frond bases from mature oil palms planted on well-drained and temporarily flooded riparian smallholder oil-palm plantations (n = 4 each) in lowland Sumatra, Indonesia. We quantified Si concentrations of these oil-palm parts by NaCO3 extraction. We further estimated Si storage in the total above-ground biomass of the oil palms, Si return to soils through decomposing pruned palm fronds, and Si losses from the system through harvest, to assess if Si return to soils via pruned palm fronds sufficed for maintaining Si cycling in the system, or if any measures are needed to compensate for Si export through fruit-bunch harvest. At all sites, leaflets of oil-palm fronds had a significantly higher (p &le; 0.05) mean Si concentration (&ge; 1 wt. %) than the rachis, frond base, fruit-bunch stalk, fruit pulp and kernel (&le; 0.5 wt. %). All analysed oil-palm parts had a Si/Ca weight ratio &ge; 1, except for the rachis. At well-drained sites, mean Si concentrations in leaflets increased with palm-frond age (R&sup2; = 0.98). Estimates of Si storage in the total above-ground biomass of oil palms, Si return to soils through decomposing pruned palm fronds, and Si losses through harvest were similar at well-drained and riparian sites: a single palm tree could store about 4&ndash;5 kg of Si in its total above-ground biomass, a smallholder oil-palm plantation of 1 hectare could store about 550 kg of Si in the palm trees&rsquo; above-ground biomass. Pruned palm fronds were estimated to return 110&ndash;131 kg of Si per hectare to topsoils each year. Fruit-bunch harvest corresponded to an annual Si export of 32&ndash;72 kg Si per hectare in 2015 and 2018. Thus, on smallholder plantations in our study area, more Si can be returned to soils through pruned palm fronds than is lost through fruit-bunch harvest. Greater Si losses would occur if oil-palm stems were removed from plantations prior to replanting. Therefore, it is advisable to leave oil-palm stems on the plantations e.g., by distributing chipped stem parts across the plantation at the end of a plantation cycle (~25 years). This would return about 550 kg ha-1 Si stored in the palm trees&rsquo; above-ground biomass to the soils.</p