Agustín Molina

A study of factors that may influence the determination of copper, iron, and zinc in human milk during sampling and in sample individuals.

The aim of this study was to establish the possible effects of the sampling protocol (between-breast, within-feed, and diurnal differences) and the mother’s personal factors (age, parity, iron supple-mentation, smoking habits, and lactation period) on the copper, iron, and zinc contents in human milk.One hundred thirty-six human milk samples identified by their origin and sampling conditions were analyzed. The samples were obtained from the 2nd to 15th d postpartum from 62 women. The data on the individuals required for the study were available. Mineral determinations were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry following a standarized protocol.The results showed that iron contents were higher in hind-milk samples and at the nighttime feeding and depended on the breast from which the sample was taken. The copper and zinc concentrations showed no significant variations. There was no significant relationship among the mothers’ age, parity, smoking habits, iron supplementation, and copper content. Milk from older women had lower zinc contents than that of younger women. Increased amounts of iron were found in multiparous women. Between colostrum and transitional milk, a sharp decrease in zinc content was observed, whereas copper and iron contents remained constant.All of these results make it clear that standardized sampling protocols are needed in order to obtain comparable values.

The distribution and host range of the banana fusarium wilt fungus, fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense , in Asia

Fusarium oxysporum formae specialis cubense (Foc) is a soil-borne fungus that causes Fusarium wilt, which is considered to be the most destructive disease of bananas. The fungus is believed to have evolved with its host in the Indo-Malayan region, and from there it was spread to other banana-growing areas with infected planting material. The diversity and distribution of Foc in Asia was investigated. A total of 594 F. oxysporum isolates collected in ten Asian countries were identified by vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) analysis. To simplify the identification process, the isolates were first divided into DNA lineages using PCR-RFLP analysis. Six lineages and 14 VCGs, representing three Foc races, were identified in this study. The VCG complex 0124/5 was most common in the Indian subcontinent, Vietnam and Cambodia; whereas the VCG complex 01213/16 dominated in the rest of Asia. Sixty-nine F. oxysporum isolates in this study did not match any of the known VCG tester strains. In this study, Foc VCG diversity in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Sri Lanka was determined for the first time and VCGs 01221 and 01222 were first reported from Cambodia and Vietnam. New associations of Foc VCGs and banana cultivars were recorded in all the countries where the fungus was collected. Information obtained in this study could help Asian countries to develop and implement regulatory measures to prevent the incursion of Foc into areas where it does not yet occur. It could also facilitate the deployment of disease resistant banana varieties in infested areas.

Unit-level fairness and quality within the health care industry: A justice–quality model

We test a justice–quality model in which peer justice and justice climate are related to the service quality provided by the work unit. Based on the effort–reward imbalance model, we propose that units perceiving fair treatment provide better delivery of the core service (functional service quality) and better relational service beyond the core service (relational service quality). We also test whether the cross-level relationship of high service quality delivered by work units translates into high customer ratings of the service quality they receive. Furthermore, we propose that high service quality increases the work unit’s influence on their customers’ quality of life (QoL). We test these hypotheses using hierarchical linear modelling with 724 employees and 1,137 customers nested in 89 health care organizations providing services to persons with intellectual disabilities (PID). Customers’ ratings were assessed by the legal guardians of the PID. Results showed that justice climate is related to functional service quality, whereas peer justice is related to relational service quality. Additionally, results showed that high service quality delivered by work units relates to high customer ratings, which, in turn, are associated with the perceived influence of work units on customers’ QoL. We discuss the implications for justice and service research.

Intergroup Conflict and Rational Decision Making

The literature has been relatively silent about post-conflict processes. However, understanding the way humans deal with post-conflict situations is a challenge in our societies. With this in mind, we focus the present study on the rationality of cooperative decision making after an intergroup conflict, i.e., the extent to which groups take advantage of post-conflict situations to obtain benefits from collaborating with the other group involved in the conflict. Based on dual-process theories of thinking and affect heuristic, we propose that intergroup conflict hinders the rationality of cooperative decision making. We also hypothesize that this rationality improves when groups are involved in an in-group deliberative discussion. Results of a laboratory experiment support the idea that intergroup conflict –associated with indicators of the activation of negative feelings (negative affect state and heart rate)– has a negative effect on the aforementioned rationality over time and on both group and individual decision making. Although intergroup conflict leads to sub-optimal decision making, rationality improves when groups and individuals subjected to intergroup conflict make decisions after an in-group deliberative discussion. Additionally, the increased rationality of the group decision making after the deliberative discussion is transferred to subsequent individual decision making.

Gender and Ageing at Work in Chile: Employment, Working Conditions, Work–Life Balance and Health of Men and Women in an Ageing Workforce

Objectives In Chile, working after retirement age has grown substantially over the last years. This, in addition to the countrys current discussion about extending retirement age, motivates the need of generating evidence on the occupational health and safety of the working old, with a special focus on women, who are critically disadvantaged in Chiles labour market. The objective of this paper is to describe and compare the ageing workforce of women and men in Chile in terms of labour market participation, employment and working conditions, work-life balance, and health. The social determinants of health and employment sustainability frameworks guide this study. Data Sources Cross-sectional data from three publicly available sources: the Chilean Labour Force Survey, NENE (2010); the first Chilean Employment and working conditions survey, ENETS (2009-2010) and the second National Health Survey, ENS (2009). Methods Participation rates and employment conditions (NENE and ENETS), working conditions, occupational health and work-life balance (ENETS) and chronic health conditions (ENS) were described by 5-year age groups separately for women and men. Descriptions cover all age groups in order to identify trends and patterns characteristic of older workers. Results Rates of occupation decrease sharply after age 54 in women and 59 in men. Ageing women and men who continue to work are more likely to be in own-account (self-employed) work than younger workers; in the case of women, in households as domestic workers, and men, in agriculture. Social protection and workplace rights are markedly reduced in older workers. Part-time work increases from the age of 50 onwards, especially among women, but average working hours do not decrease under 30 h a week for either women or men. Interestingly, between ages 60 and 64, there is a peak increase of day and night shift-work among women, which co-occurs with a peak in domestic work, possibly corresponding to women working as caretakers of elderly people. Several workplace risks continue to be high into old age: intensive work and demanding physical work, especially in men, and the combination of paid and unpaid care work in women, which continues to be high up to the age of 70 years. The health of older workers is better than that of non-working people of the same age, a gap which is markedly larger for women than men and tends to increase among women as they age. Conclusion Results indicate that Chileans working into old age face precarious jobs with limited protection and several adverse working conditions. Noteworthy, women carry the double burden of paid and unpaid work into their late years. In addition, results suggest they are affected more profoundly by the healthy worker effect whereby the health condition determines the probability of finding and keeping a job-also known as a health selection mechanism-which increases as they age. These employment and working conditions indicate that working into old age is not yet sustainable in Chile and counts as evidence that needs to be taken into account in discussions about delaying the retirement age in the country, as well as incorporating support systems to alleviate the double work burden of ageing working women.

The Moderating Role of Performance in the Link From Interactional Justice Climate to Mutual Trust Between Managers and Team Members

The main goal of this study was to examine the interaction between team members’ performance and interactional justice climate in predicting mutual trust between managers and team members. A total of 93 small centers devoted to the attention of people with intellectual disability participated in the study. In each center, the manager (N = 93) and a group of team members (N = 746) were surveyed. On average, team members were 36.2 years old (SD = 9.3), whereas managers were 41.2 years old (SD = 8.8). The interaction between interactional justice climate and performance was statistically significant. Team members’ performance strengthened the link from interactional justice climate to mutual trust.

O34-5 The chilean ageing workforce: who works into old age and under what employment conditions?

Introduction Employment conditions are key determinants of health at all ages. In Chile almost 13% of workers are aged 60 or more, and the pension system is currently experiencing a severe coverage crisis resulting in insufficient income-replacement rates. It has been recommended that retirement age should be postponed and the work of the elderly encouraged, while guaranteeing quality employment for them. The main objective of this study is to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and employment conditions of ageing workers in Chile. Methods Descriptive analysis were conducted with data from the Chilean active population survey (2010 & 2014). Subjects were divided into 5-year age groups to describe their labour market participation and employment conditions. Results Rates of occupation decrease sharply after age 54 in women and 59 in men. Occupation rates are markedly lower in men with less than elementary education, but equate that of other groups by age 60–64. In women, there is a marked educational gradient which wears off by age 65. While the proportion of women in the workforce decreases with age, that of less educated workers increases. Both older women and men who continue to work do so at a greater extent than younger workers as own-account workers, in small companies in the private sector, in households in the case of women and, especially in the case of women, without a contract. Precarious employment conditions also tend to increase as workers age. Conclusions Labour market participation of ageing workers in Chile is characterised by jobs that tend to exhibit greater levels of informality and employment precariousness. Increasing labour market participation of elder workers will require adequate instruments to protect their employment conditions in order to preserve their health and ability to work.

Influence of nutritional variables on the onset of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants: A case-control study.

• Minimal enteral feeding should be early initiated and prolonged for at least 5–7 days in the most immature newborn.