A 14-h night-shift in the control room of a fire brigade

Abstract

All 29 operators in the control room of a fire brigade performed test sessions during work and leisure time at 2-h intervals on a day with a 14-h night-shift, a day off and a day with a 10-h morning shift. The test sessions consisted of a visual search choice reaction time test and two Sternberg memory search tests (1 or 5 letters had to be memorized). Furthermore, the operators recorded their oral temperature and their subjective alertness before each test session. The subject also kept a diary of work and sleep times for 14 days. The circadian rhythm of body temperature was hardly changed by a single night-shift. Parallel to the body temperature, the subjective alertness fell significantly during the night-shift reaching a minimum value at 06:00 h. The mean reaction times increased non-significantly at the end of the night-shift and the results of the two Sternberg memory search tests showed no significant trends. The sleep of the operators after the night-shift was on average reduced to 5 hs 34 min. The results of subjective rating of alertness and reaction time test are interpreted as effects of the combined influences of circadian rhythmicity, sleep loss and time on professional task. Most results support the conclusion that a 14-h night-shift without extensive breaks is not acceptable.     

流动人口的居住状态与社会融合

以中国城市流动人口社区研究的调查数据为依据,对流动人口的居住特点进行分析,并从社会学角度对流动人口与城市居民之间存在的居住差异与居住隔离状况进行解读,指出这种差异和隔离是造成流动人口城市融入困难的重要原因,需采取改革二元户籍制度、将流动人口纳入城镇住房保障体系、实现混合居住等措施解决流动人口的住房问题,促进他们与城市居民的社会融合.     

Continuing Care Retirement Communities:

No abstract available for this article.     

The persistence of white flight in middle-class suburbia

Scholars have continued to debate the extent to which white flight remains racially motivated or, in contrast, the result of socioeconomic concerns that proxy locations of minority residence. Using 1990–2010 census data, this study contributes to this debate by re-examining white flight in a sample of both poor and middle-class suburban neighborhoods. Findings fail to provide evidence in support of the racial proxy hypothesis. To the contrary, for neighborhoods with a larger non-white presence, white flight is instead more likely in middle-class as opposed to poorer neighborhoods. These results not only confirm the continued salience of race for white flight, but also suggest that racial white flight may be motivated to an even greater extent in middle-class, suburban neighborhoods. Theoretically, these findings point to the decoupling of economic and racial residential integration, as white flight may persist for groups even despite higher levels of socioeconomic attainment.     

Assessing the bias due to non-coverage of residential movers in the German Microcensus Panel: an evaluation using data from the Socio-Economic Panel

The German Microcensus (MC) is a large scale rotating panel survey over three years. The MC is attractive for longitudinal analysis over the entire participation duration because of the mandatory participation and the very high case numbers (about 200000 respondents). However, as a consequence of the area sampling that is used for the MC, residential mobility is not covered and consequently statistical information at the new residence is lacking in the MC sample. This raises the question whether longitudinal analyses, like transitions between labour market states, are biased and how different methods perform that promise to reduce such a bias. Similar problems occur also for other national Labour Force Surveys (LFS) which are rotating panels and do not cover residential mobility, see Clarke and Tate (2002). Based on data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), which covers residential mobility, we analysed the effects of missing data of residential movers by the estimation of labour force flows. By comparing the results from the complete SOEP sample and the results from the SOEP, restricted to the non-movers, we concluded that the non-coverage of the residential movers can not be ignored in Rubin’s sense. With respect to correction methods we analysed weighting by inverse mobility scores and log-linear models for partially observed contingency tables. Our results indicate that weighting by inverse mobility scores reduces the bias to about 60% whereas the official longitudinal weights obtained by calibration result in a bias reduction of about 80%. The estimation of log-linear models for non-ignorable non-response leads to very unstable results.     

Staff-Family Relations and Institutional Care Policies

As institutional care providers increasingly recognize the importance of the family, the quality of staff-family relations has become a concern. This study investigated the relationship between selected facility care policies and staff-family relationships. Data secured from staff members and family members in rural nursing homes revealed a relationship between the family role that the care policy prescribed and the degree of staff-family integration. The study concluded that care policies viewing family members as clients will have positive consequences for staff and families and ultimately the residents.     

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Abstract

Data from a longitudinal study of older adults in an upstate New York county (N = 333) show that poor housing “fit” increases the likelihood that older adults are currently considering a move, as does lower residential satisfaction. Those adults who said only that they “might consider moving” focused on health transitions that might signal a need for a new housing situation. Residential satisfaction predicts actual moves even when controlling for moving plans. Older adults may be “pushed” to make a move by a crisis, but those older adults planning moves tend to be “pulled” into housing arrangements with desirable features.     

Erlangized Fluid Queues with Application To Uncontrolled Fire Perimeter

Abstract

The present paper develops an “Erlangization” method for fluid queues. It then applies the results we derive to a forestry problem: the evolution of an uncontrolled fire perimeter over time. Specifically, we focus on the probability of containing a fire prior to reaching a randomly distributed, finite time horizon. Transitions to lower non-zero levels are also investigated. A preliminary model is introduced to demonstrate the potential of the application, and numerical results are given for illustrative purposes.     

An Assessment,Using the Multiphasic Environmental Assessment Procedure (MEAP), of a Rural Life-Care Residential Center for the Elderly

This study reports the findings of an assessment of a life-care center for elderly persons in a rural area using the Multiphasic Environmental Assessment Procedure (Moos and Lemke, 1979a). The study assesses the physical and architectural features, the social climate, and the policies and programs of the home. The results are compared to previous assessments of sheltered-care facilities, and the findings of the study support similar research conducted by Moos and Lemke. The facility's selection process leads to a population with similar characteristics, tending to promote a harmonious environment. The residents have a positive perception of their personal environment which encompasses the physical and social environment and organizational structure. This type of environment offers a smooth transition from living in a private residence to a residential life-care center.     

Residential segregation in metropolitan established immigrant gateways and new destinations, 1990-2000

In the 1990s, many immigrants bypassed established gateways like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Miami to create new immigrant destinations across the US. In this paper, we examine how segregation and spatial assimilation might differ between established gateways and new destinations among the 150 largest metropolitan areas. Using data from the 1990 and 2000 censuses, we calculate levels of dissimilarity for Hispanics and Asians by nativity for these two gateway types. Our findings show that segregation levels are consistently lower in new destinations. However, Hispanics in new destinations experienced significant increases segregation during the 1990s, suggesting a convergence in residential patterns by destination type. Nevertheless, in both destinations the native-born are less segregated than the foreign born—consistent with immigrant spatial incorporation. Finally, socioeconomic indicators are generally consistent with predictions of spatial assimilation.