Search

This paper explores the multitasking scheduling problem via alternate periods, which is common in manufacturing and service industries. The shift pattern comprises regular shifts interspersed with breaks, allowing job switching. We focus on two alternate periods consisting of odd periods and even periods. Each job is not only processed completely within odd periods or completely within even periods, but job switching is also allowed between alternate periods with additional overhead. For this problem, we propose two job switching models. The first model is alternate periods multitasking scheduling with switching time, where a fixed switching time is incurred whenever a job is switched from one period to its adjacent period. The second model is alternate periods multitasking scheduling with diverse speeds, where an urgent switching cost is produced if a job is processed through the alternate periods with different speeds. For the two models, we study three scheduling objectives including minimising the total completion time, minimising the maximum lateness, and minimising the number of tardy jobs, respectively. For each of the problems under consideration, we investigate the structural properties of the optimal schedule and develop the corresponding pseudo-polynomial time dynamic programming algorithm. Furthermore, we give examples to effectively illustrate the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern manufacturing and service industries, urgent orders and service tasks are common, and the speed of handling such urgent tasks is an important indicator of production and service efficiency. In this study, we consider scheduling jobs on two parallel machines with the random arrival of an emergency job. The objective is to minimise the makespan, subject to a given maximum waiting time of the emergency job. We first show that the worst-case ratio of the existing algorithm LPT $ _l $ l -SPT $ _{m-l} $ m − l is at least 3/2 when m = 2. We then analyse some properties of the optimal schedule and derive lower bounds on the optimal makespan. Finally, we present an improved approximation algorithm with a tight worst-case ratio of 4/3. We also provide numerical results showing that our proposed algorithm outperforms algorithm LPT $ _l $ l -SPT $ _{m-l} $ m − l . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While previous studies have focused on the supply side of employment transitions for older workers, there is a lack of understanding of the demand side of the labor market. Given that almost half of older workers experience multiple employment transitions prior to retirement, this study aims to investigate job availability in a local market for older workers and identify the required skills for available jobs. This study used online job posting data in a southern community in the U.S. which was collected from three job posting sources during the fourth quarter of 2021. Qualitative data, with a total of 5,160 job postings, were merged with the O*NET database. Descriptive analyses were performed to account for job availabilities and required skills. Additionally, 2021 American Community Survey data derived from IPUMS USA were used to investigate the local community’s older workforce. Job opportunities emerged in a wide range of occupations, with higher concentrations in three occupational groups. Occupations with high proportions of older workers aged 65 or older required relatively fewer work requirements such as education, work experience, and skills. The study also identified generally applicable job requirements, except for technology skills, across occupational groups divided into two tracks by the level of job requirements. This study identified a poor fit between the local job market and older workers, which highlights the need for pre- and post-response to the aftermath of economic downturns and continuous technology skill development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the driving forces of structural transformation is crucial for understanding economic development. In the early 21st century, China experienced a rapid labor shift from agricultural to non-agricultural sectors. This shift is often attributed to the industrial sector's "pull" force, while the agricultural sector's "push" force remains less understood. This paper investigates the role of the Agricultural Tax Exemption (ATE) reform in promoting inter-sectoral labor reallocation in China, which ended over two millennia of agricultural taxation on farmers. Our results show that the introduction of the ATE reform contributed to a significant increase in the share of non-agricultural workers. Mechanism analysis reveals that this reform encouraged capital investment among farmers and improved agricultural productivity, consequently displacing surplus agricultural workers. Further analysis shows that the labor reallocation induced by the reform had significantly increased employment and output within the secondary sector, although its effect on the tertiary sector was relatively minimal. • Examines effects of the Agricultural Tax Exemption reform in China. • Reform significantly increased the share of non-agricultural workers. • Reform boosted capital investment and agricultural productivity. • Reform increased secondary sector employment and output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Multiple jobholding (MJH) is assumed to be a growing phenomenon due to working life changes. This study presents new knowledge on the MJH career paths, from the perspectives of both employers and employees. Design/methodology/approach: The qualitative interview study was focused on retail trade and restaurant and food service industries in Finland, where MJH is a quite common work arrangement compared to other European countries. The data were analyzed with the concepts of the chaos theory of careers and with an abductive thematic content analysis. Findings: According to the results, several events and intertwined factors may lead individual careers gradually to MJH. Changing personal and family situations and leisure time needs attracted the careers towards MJH. MJH was not only a financial necessity to employees, but it also served their flexibility interests. The interviewed employers applied flexible non-standard employment arrangements mainly due to rapidly varying labor needs established in the industries. It was important for them to strengthen the non-standard core employees' sense of belonging to the work community. However, employees with work ability challenges were in risk to end up in peripheral positions at the labor market. Originality/value: Previous research on multiple jobholding has not combined employers' perspectives of MJH to employees' experiences of career paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses an unrelated parallel machines scheduling problem with the need of additional resources during the processing of the jobs, as well as during the setups that machines need between the processing of any two jobs. This problem is highly complex, and therefore in this paper we propose several constructive heuristics to solve it. To improve the performance of these heuristics, we propose several variations, including randomisation with different probability distributions and a local search phase, having this way GRASP algorithms. The results of extensive experiments over randomly generated instances show several findings on the different parameters that characterise our constructive algorithms. In particular, we highlight the fact that non-uniform probability distributions might be advisable for choosing elements of a restricted candidate list in GRASP algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a two-stage hybrid flow shop problem arising from a fine chemicals production facility, where the first stage is a continuous chemical reaction process and the second stage is a discrete filling-packaging process. The objective is to minimise the total weighted completion time through batching of the jobs and scheduling of the batches at first stage and scheduling of the jobs at second stage. We formulate the problem as a mixed integer programming model and develop a Lagrangian relaxation-based framework for solving it, where the original problem is decomposed into family-level subproblems, and each subproblem is transformed into a set-partitioning problem. The subproblems are solved to optimality via branch and price algorithm. We also propose two heuristic algorithms for reducing computational efforts without much loss of solution quality. Finally, we conduct computational experiments with both randomly generated and real data sets to test the performance of the three proposed algorithms and demonstrate that the algorithms perform efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editorial discusses the prevalence and implications of non-standard employment, which includes part-time work, fixed-term contracts, and freelancing. It highlights the benefits of flexibility and human capital acquisition for workers, but also notes the challenges of job insecurity and limited social security benefits. The special issue covers various aspects of non-standard employment, such as precarious work trajectories, income poverty risks, and social protection barriers, providing a nuanced understanding of this increasingly common form of work. [Extracted from the article]

Recent research has yielded important insight into the characteristics and behaviours of officers who commit misconduct across the UK, USA and Australia. However, there remains little research into illicit substance use by sworn police. Considering substance use by police through the lens of police misconduct, this paper employs correlation and regression analyses using a sample of 489 sworn officers, to analyse whether individual types of misconduct, or the overall volume of misconduct committed, were predictive of an officer returning a positive drug test during departmental random drug testing. Findings suggested that neither individual types of misconduct, or the overall number of complaints received by officers were useful in predicting a positive drug test. However, a current or historical association with a known offender held a strong relationship with returning a positive drug test. Pivotally, holding a second job (outside of the agency) was also a significant predictor of a positive drug test. The findings of this research hold important implications for drug testing policy and procedure of policing agencies, and for understanding which factors may suggest that an officer is at risk of drug use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burnout is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon, which can be associated with a wide range of mental and physical illnesses. There is also a possible connection between burnout and neuropathic low back pain, but the association is poorly studied. Methods: The aim of our cross-sectional study was to analyze the prevalence and risk factors of chronic neuropathic low back pain taking many co-variates into account, such as burnout and its main determinants among postal workers. Demographic data, risk factors and concomitant diseases were recorded. Burnout was measured with the Mini Oldenburg Questionnaire (MOLBI), neuropathic low back pain was assessed by the painDETECT questionnaire, insomnia was detected by the Athen's Insomnia Scale and depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Three hundred sixty-eight males (35.6%) and six hundred sixty-six females (64.4%) participated in our study. Low back pain occured in 182 workers (17.6%), among them 36 workers (19.4%) had neuropathic low back pain, 56 (30.9%) had mixed pain and 90 (49.7%) workers had nociceptive low back pain. In a hierarchical regression analysis strong predictors of neuropathic low back pain included having secondary employment, depression, sleep disturbance and emotional exhaustion (main component of burnout). Conclusion: This is among the first studies showing a possible association between burnout and neuropathic low back pain, highlighting the importance of adequate burnout screening and the implementation of interventions to avoid significant disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, given the uncertain prospects, postdoctoral fellows' intention to leave has increased significantly. Understanding the factors that influence postdoctoral fellows' intention to leave is crucial for devising effective strategies to reduce turnover rates. Drawing on Job Characteristics Model, this study explored the predictive effect of job characteristics (job independence and job interest) on intention to leave among postdoctoral fellows, and the mediating effect of sense of personal accomplishment and the moderating effect of mental health support on this relationship. Data from 6382 postdoctoral fellows in the 2020 Nature Survey were analyzed by hierarchical regression and bootstrapping. Results show that two situational job characteristics (job independence and job interest) negatively associate with intention to leave; sense of personal accomplishment mediates the association between two situational job characteristics (job independence and job interest) and intention to leave. Moreover, mental health support moderates the association between job interest and sense of personal accomplishment, but does not moderate the association between job independence and sense of personal accomplishment. This study has significant theoretical and practical implications as the findings extend Job Characteristic Model in some ways and deepen our understanding of the intention to leave among postdoctoral fellows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of SPORMETRE: The Journal of Physical Education & Sport Sciences / Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of SPORMETRE: The Journal of Physical Education & Sport Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The authors sought to determine whether providing recipients of supported employment with individual budgets from which they could purchase employment-related goods and services would improve employment and financial outcomes. Methods: Sixty study participants were recruited from an individual placement and support (IPS) program and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive IPS services only (N=32) or IPS services with a 12-month $950 flexible fund called a career account (N=28). Participants receiving IPS and a career account met with staff who helped them identify employment goals and create a budget for purchases directly tied to these goals. The primary outcome was competitive employment; secondary outcomes included job tenure, days worked, total earnings, and financial well-being. Outcomes were analyzed by using adjusted generalized linear models (GLMs) with binary logistic, negative binomial, and linear distributions. Results: The proportion of participants who achieved competitive employment was largely similar for those in the career account+IPS group (54%) and in the IPS-only group (47%). However, the GLM analysis revealed that career account+IPS participants had significantly longer job tenure, more total days of employment, and higher total earnings than IPS-only participants. Feelings of financial well-being increased significantly among career account participants, whereas financial well-being declined among control participants. The amount of career account dollars participants spent was positively and significantly associated with longer job tenure, more days employed, and higher total earnings. Conclusions: Combining flexible funds with IPS-supported employment achieved some superior outcomes compared with IPS only. Further research is needed to assess the longer-term effects of this practice and its cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how the use of ride-hail apps (e.g. Uber, Lyft) affects drivers' propensity to engage in risky behaviours. Drawing on labour process theory, this study examines how algorithmic control of ride-hail drivers encourages risky driving (i.e. violating road safety rules, carrying weapons). Furthermore, the theory of work precarity is used to explain why multiple jobholders (MJHers), who work for ride-hail companies, drive taxis and hold other jobs, may be more likely to take risks while driving due to income insecurity and erratic work hours. The hypotheses are tested in a sample (N = 191) of ride-hail drivers, taxi drivers and MJHers. The results suggest that MJHers are more likely to engage in risky driving in comparison to ride-hail and taxi drivers. Theoretical, practical and policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Scholarship on how fentanyl affects the complexities of correctional settings is limited in Canada, as scholars have focused on the prevalence of opioid use and overdose in prisons, as well as community treatment and access following release. Fentanyl constitutes a continuing challenge both in prisons and broader society. Results: The current qualitative, interview-based empirical study examines how fentanyl is interpreted by correctional officers (COs, n = 99) across federal prisons in Canada, some of whom have worked in institutions with a high presence of fentanyl, while others have less exposure to the drug. We found that while many COs had responded to an overdose during their first or second year on the job, most COs who had did not perceive the event to be psychologically traumatic nor were concerned about the presence and availability fentanyl in their work environment, or they were indifferent. Yet this finding competes with the 41.4% of officers who did express concern about the presence of fentanyl – suggesting both a "normalization" of fentanyl as a workplace hazard as well as an underpinning social concern. Conclusions: We discuss the implications of these complicated findings in relation to reducing workplace stressors and countering misinformation that, in addition to other potential occupational factors, may be responsible for the concerns of COs tied to the presence of fentanyl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ analysis of Li plating/stripping processes and evolution of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) are critical for optimizing all‐solid‐state Li metal batteries (ASSLMB). However, the buried solid‐solid interfaces present a challenge for detection which preclude the employment of multiple analysis techniques. Herein, by employing complementary in situ characterizations, morphological/chemical evolution, Li plating/stripping dynamics and SEI dynamics were directly detected. As a mixed ionic‐electronic conducting interface, Li|Li10GeP2S12 (LGPS) performed distinct interfacial morphological/chemical evolution and dynamics from ionic‐conducting/electronic‐isolating interface like Li|Li3PS4 (LPS), which were revealed by combination of in situ atomic force microscopy and in situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Though Li plating speed in LGPS was higher than LPS, speed of SSE decomposition was similar and ~85 % interfacial SSE turned into SEI during plating and remained unchanged in stripping. To leverage strengths of different SSEs, an LPS‐LGPS‐LPS sandwich electrolyte was developed, demonstrating enhanced ionic conductivity and improved interfacial stability with less SSE decomposition (25 %). Using in situ Kelvin probe force microscopy, Li‐ion behavior at interface between different SSEs was effectively visualized, uncovering distribution of Li ions at LGPS|LPS interface under different potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a comparative analysis of multiple jobholding and non-standard employment among young people in EU-28 member states. This work contributes to the understanding of multiple jobholding among youth by connecting the empirical work to the issues of labour market flexibilisation in Europe. The database used is the European Union Labour Force Survey for 2019. Non-standard forms of employment have a positive effect on the likelihood of secondary jobholding, especially part-time work. There is a high rate of multiple jobholding in Nordic countries, whereas it is low in Mediterranean, Central and Eastern European countries, where the time spent in second jobs is high. Finally, there are statistically significant differences in the propensity toward multiple jobholding according to level of education, gender, age, and country of birth, while there is no noticeable effect of over-qualification, although there is on the search for another job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are studies on moonlighting, but literature is scarce on moonlighting wages and its determinants. To know the factors that influence the secondary job payments for higher education, this study selected a sample from all the public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan in multi-stages with a total of 656 teachers. The independent variables consisted of the wage rate in the primary job, the income from all other sources, education level, job grade, supply of labour to the secondary market, experience, and the motives behind moonlighting. Outcomes of regression show that an hour increase in the supply of labour to the second job decreases the wage rate by nearly 15 rupees. The only motive for enjoying a second job is receiving a significantly high per-hour wage and this motive weakens the decreasing effect of increased supply to moonlighting jobs when estimated as the interaction between the two variables. Although a professor gets an 88-rupee higher wage than a non-professor, an increase in his supply of labour has a payment of 56 rupees in interaction effect. However, he gets a great amount if he increases his supply of labour because he enjoys the second job. In the case of education, positing only a master's degree results in a lesser wage than a higher degree. The results give useful insights into the higher education secondary market and wage determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we deal with a special type of scheduling problem. There are two classes of jobs to be processed on a single machine. Jobs of class A are directly delivered to the customers and we want to minimise their total flow time. Jobs of class B do not contribute to the objective function but must respect a no-idle constraint (i.e. they are required to keep an external downstream machine busy). This problem arises in some real-world production environments where the downstream process must not be interrupted because of technological constraints, economic viability or because the firm is bound to keep the external process continuously active (e.g. a contract with a downstream firm imposing penalties if the supply is interrupted). We prove that the general problem is NP-Hard. We introduce two mathematical programming-based approaches and some constructive heuristics. The various approaches are compared on the basis of a large computational campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMaterials and methodsResultsConclusionTo understand the perceptions of the meaning and feasibility of physical activity (PA) while employed for people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).A qualitative design, using individual in-depth interviews of 26 employed pwMS with mild to moderate disability. The interviews were analysed using systematic text condensation in a phenomenological hermeneutic framework informed by a pattern theory of self. A systematic and dynamic process was used to develop categories of the most salient content and meaning.Three categories were developed: (1) Meaningfulness of PA for work, (2) Balancing daily life, PA, and work when energy is low, and (3) Leisure PA during work hours is beneficial but challenging to implement. The findings highlight that PA can be perceived meaningful for health, function, life balance, identity, their perceived abilities, possibilities, and challenges in relation to work, all influencing self-perception. The participants perceived the feasibility of PA to be influenced by work, private life, and work-life balance, particularly highlighting physical function, organisational structures and arrangements, and social and normative practices to be important. An arrangement of implementing leisure PA during working hours was recognised as a beneficial work accommodation when it was perceived feasible and accepted.Employed pwMS may perceive PA as meaningful for their health, function, and work, influencing self-perception and perceived work capabilities. Its feasibility may be influenced by individual, environmental, and/or social aspects. Thus, individualised work adjustments to facilitate PA, like accommodating for leisure PA during work hours, can ultimately facilitate both PA and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Job satisfaction is an important factor that directly affects an employee's productivity. The relationship between job satisfaction and productivity is a critical factor in many professions, including architecture. Therefore, it is important that they are satisfied with their jobs in terms of productivity. The aim of this study is to examine demographic features, job satisfactions and productivity levels of architects working in architectural offices in Bursa and to determine whether there is a relationship with each other. In this study, a questionnaire was used as a data collection method. A survey was conducted with 203 architects working in Bursa. The survey consists of 3 parts. In the first part demographic features, in the second part job satisfactions and in the third part, there are questions about productivity. According to the findings, the correlation coefficient value between the productivity of job satisfactions in the working environment is between 0 and 0.50, revealing the importance of job satisfaction and productivity for the companies and the employees. As a result of the research, it was concluded from the correlation analysis that the parameters of architects' job satisfactions were effective on productivity. It has been observed that the productivity of the employees who are satisfied with their job, organization of the working environment has also increased. In terms of architects, it is thought that this study will contribute to the scientific field in terms of the absence of a study examining the three issues together and reflecting the perspectives of architects on their profession. In the context of architectural offices, studies examining job satisfactions or productivity are very limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article extends knowledge of sixteenth-century Scottish textual production by exploring the range of writing activities undertaken by Robert Ewyn, scribe, chaplain and notary. Ewyn made a copy of Regiam maiestatem in Scots in 1548. This manuscript was held in a private collection until 2016 and is comparatively unknown: a full codicological description and account of its provenance history is offered here. A biographical profile of Robert Ewyn is constructed from references in wills and other public records, revealing his family connections and his links to the Edinburgh crafts community; his career as a notary, pre- and post-reformation, is investigated and documents prepared by him are identified. Ewyn's scribal hand is traced across three very different writing contexts (literary book production, legal documentation and secretarial note-taking); as a result, evidence emerges of the different kinds of handwriting a professional scribe could produce, and of the multiple forms of employment that pre-modern notaries might undertake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we consider a problem from the field of power-aware scheduling in which a fleet of electric vehicles have to be charged in a minimum time. Each vehicle is equipped with a lithium-ion battery of a given capacity. The initial power used for charging each battery is known, whereas it is assumed that the power drops to zero at the moment when the battery gets fully loaded. The power usage function is linear and decreasing. The charging jobs are nonpreemptable and independent, whereas the total available amount of power is limited. The objective is to minimize the schedule length. In this paper, we analyze the case of a problem with identical jobs that already cover a wide variety of practical situations. By employing inverses of natural numbers, similar to harmonic series, we prove two properties of this case, and we also discuss the phenomenon of the stabilization of the difference between the start times of two successive jobs in a schedule. We also take under examination a few special cases of the problem. Some conclusions and directions for future research are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuestiones de Sociologia: Revista de Estudios Sociales is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cuestiones de Sociologia: Revista de Estudios Sociales is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The employment of multiple data and coordinate systems in Malaysia has not only resulted in challenges in surveying and mapping purposes but has also caused data compatibility issues with the local positioning system. This study examines the disparities in coordinates converted from the localized Geocentric Datum of Malaysia 2000 (GDM2000) to the global coordinate system, the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84), and from GDM2000 to the Malayan Revised Triangulation 1968 (MRT68). Several coordinate converter tools, available in the mCOORD mobile app, Geodetic Datum Transformation System (GDTS), Global Mapper, and Quantum GIS (QGIS), were employed to analyze the variation between converted coordinates. The locally developed coordinate converter tools, mCOORD and GDTS, exhibit similar levels of accuracy and conform to the standards set by the local survey department. In contrast, the reliability of the coordinate conversion tools in Global Mapper and QGIS seems uncertain. It is recommended that each data revision should establish transparency to the latest geodetic reference frame, with publicly accessible transformation parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Question (1669-6581) is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects many body functions and activities, including work capacity and ability to work. An evaluation of work-related parameters is important to understand the barriers to maintaining the job. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set for MS can be used to predict work capacity and employment status. Methods: The cohort included 151 participants with MS (99 female/52 male, mean age 49 years) referred for a work capacity evaluation. Results: 71 (47.0%) were employed and a major part (131, 86.7%) had a work capacity between 20 and 40% with no difference between those who were employed and those who were unemployed. The analysis revealed that age and the following categories explained 68.8% of the work capacity: b770 Gait pattern functions; b730 Muscle power functions; b134 Sleep functions; d845 Acquiring, keeping and terminating a job; and b620 Urination functions. The following categories in 79.5% predicted ability to work: b164 Higher-level cognitive functions; d510 Washing oneself; d630; Preparing meals; and d870 Economic self-sufficiency. Conclusions: Here, we show that different functions/activities predicted work capacity in comparison with employment status in MS. Therefore, ICF should be implemented when assessing work ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the class of permutation flow shop scheduling where jobs, after their completion, must be grouped in batches. This is a common scheme in industrial environments, where products undergo multiple process steps in different shops and, when completed, must be transported to customers or the next production step. A new optimisation criterion is used, the inter-exit time, i.e., the difference between the completion times of two jobs. An upper bound is proposed and demonstrated for a general permutation flow shop with m machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employment and earnings instability is common, particularly among low-income families, and can interfere with child-care arrangements. Child-care subsidies are designed to support parents' labor force participation and earnings, but the subsidy program's reach is limited, and enrollment may be hindered by changes in parents' employment or income; in turn, changes in child-care subsidy participation may lead to changes in parents' employment status, hours, or earnings. This study uses longitudinal administrative data from 2016 to 2019 on quarterly employment and earnings and child-care subsidy program participation from Virginia to examine associations between household subsidy receipt and parents' earnings and employment outcomes. Parental employment and earnings increased in the quarters following initial subsidy receipt, which then became stable. Among working parents, we find increased job and earnings stability in the quarters of subsidy receipt but increased multiple jobholding. Findings highlight the importance of child-care subsidies for the employment outcomes of low-income families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global economic growth, marked by rising GDP and population, has spurred demand for essential goods including furniture. This study presents a comprehensive demand forecasting analysis for retail furniture sales in the U.S. for the next 36 months using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Holt–Winters methods. Leveraging retail sales data from 2019 to 2023, alongside key influencing factors such as furniture imports, consumer sentiment, and housing starts, we developed two predictive models. The results indicated that retail furniture sales exhibited strong seasonality and a positive trend, with the lowest forecasted demand in April 2024 (USD 9118 million) and the highest in December 2026 (USD 13,577 million). The average annual demand for 2024, 2025, and 2026 is projected at USD 12,122.5 million, USD 12,522.67 million, and USD 12,922.17 million, respectively, based on MLR, while Holt–Winters results are slightly more conservative. The models were compared using the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) metric, with the MLR model yielding a MAPE of 3.47% and the Holt–Winters model achieving a MAPE of 4.21%. The study's findings align with global market projections and highlight the growing demand trajectory in the U.S. furniture industry, providing valuable insights for strategic decision-making and operations management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recessions typically affect men's employment more adversely than women's in the USA, the COVID-19 recession was an exception to this trend. In this paper, we focus on the veteran population and ask whether COVID-19 affected employment outcomes differently for veteran women than veteran men. Using Current Population Survey data, we find that the COVID-19 recession had less serious effects on veteran women relative to veteran men in multiple aspects of employment conditions. We offer potential explanations for this finding and ultimately provide evidence of heterogeneity in labor market experiences based on types of recessions, gender, and population subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of Americans with multiple jobs is increasing and multiple jobholders work more hours per week. However, the associations between multiple jobholding and hypertension are unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of multiple jobholding with hypertension and determine whether weekly working hours moderated this association. Data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey on adults (age ≥18 years) were used and included participants who self-identified as non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White in the U.S. (n = 16,926), The associations of multiple jobholding with self-reported hypertension by sex were assessed using modified Poisson regressions. Both the number of working hours per week and race/ethnicity were assessed as moderators using multiplicative interaction terms. Multiple jobholding was not associated with hypertension among women. However, there was a significant three-way interaction such that multiple jobholding was associated with hypertension among non-Hispanic Black men who worked ≥55 hours per week (relative risk = 1.02, 95% confidence interval = 1.01–1.05). The results suggest that the associations between multiple jobholding, number of working hours, and hypertension should be examined at the intersection of race/ethnicity and sex. Future studies should further characterize multiple jobholding and hypertension among non-Hispanic Black men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Eleventh Triennial Toxicology Salary Survey" published in the International Journal of Toxicology. The correction states that the data from the Tenth Triennial Toxicology Salary Survey was mistakenly included in the tables instead of the correct data from the Eleventh Triennial Toxicology Salary Survey. The corrected data includes information on the distribution of respondents by gender, age, highest degree obtained, years since completion of highest degree, field of highest degree, years of direct experience in toxicology, certifications held, and primary job base salary. The given text includes several tables and graphs presenting data on salaries and additional income for different professions. Table 3 shows the percentage of respondents who received bonuses, commissions, stock gifts, or profit sharing. Table 4 displays the additional professional income outside of the primary employer. Table 5 provides information on US doctoral annual salaries based on years of experience and employer. [Extracted from the article]

This paper studies a canonical general scheduling model that captures the fundamental trade-off between processing jobs and performing diagnostics (testing). In particular, testing reveals the required processing time and urgency of need-to-schedule jobs to inform future scheduling decisions. The model captures a range of important applications. Prior work focused on special cases (e.g., jobs with independent and identically distributed processing time) to devise optimal policies. In contrast, the current paper studies the most general form of the model and describes two simple heuristics to solve it; adaptive weighted shortest processing time is an adaptive generalization of Smith's rule that optimally solves several important extensions of previously studied models, whereas index policy optimally solves a closely related stochastic optimization bandit problem. The latter achieves an approximation guarantee that quickly approaches a constant factor that is bounded by two as the number of jobs grows and approaches optimally when the testing time decreases. Extensive numerical experiments suggest that our policies effectively solve the general setting (under 0.1% from optimal on average and under 10% from optimal in rare, worst-case instances). This paper was accepted by Jeannette Song, operations management. Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4833. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HAK İŞ International Journal of Labor & Society is the property of HAK-IS International Joumal of Labour & Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Gharee for Economics & Administration Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Kim et al. (2022) studied single-machine scheduling of step-improving jobs with a common discount factor to minimize the total weighted completion time. This study proposes a pseudo-polynomial algorithm to solve the problem. We then consider the general problem in which the discount factors are job dependent. It is proven that there is an optimal solution in which the early normal jobs are sequenced in the WSPT order and the late discounted jobs are sequenced in the WSPT order. Based on two WSPT lists, a dynamic programming solution algorithm is proposed. The run time is pseudo-polynomial when the distance of any job is bounded by a constant, where the distance of a job is the absolute difference of the two positions of this job in two WSPT-ordered job lists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In parallel machine scheduling, a size of a job is defined as the number of machines that are simultaneously required for its processing. This paper considers a scheduling problem in which the set of jobs consists of jobs of two sizes: the conventional jobs (each job requires a single machine for its processing) and parallel jobs (each job to be simultaneously processed on more than one machine). The processing times are controllable, and they have to be chosen from given intervals in order to guarantee the existence of a preemptive schedule in which all jobs are completed by a common deadline. The objective is to minimize the total compression cost which reflects possible reductions in processing times. Unlike problems of classical scheduling with conventional jobs, the model under consideration cannot be directly handled by submodular optimization methods. We reduce the problem to maximizing the total weighted work of all jobs parametrized with respect to total work of the parallel jobs. The solution is delivered by separately finding the breakpoints for the maximum total weighted work of the parallel jobs and for the maximum total weighted work of the conventional jobs. This results in a polynomial-time algorithm that is no slower than needed to perform sorting of jobs' parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the phenomenon of moonlighting among teachers, focusing on factors that influence their motivations and behaviors. Demographic data from 150 teachers from unaided colleges of Mumbai, including age, gender, income, teaching category, and location, were collected and analyzed. Factor analysis was conducted to identify key motivators for moonlighting, such as extra income, professional network expansion, and skill development opportunities. The study aims to provide insights into the complex motivations behind moonlighting among teachers and its implications for organizational management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Due to the nature of shift work, nurses are under high stress, which can ultimately affect their work ability (WA). Considering the importance of the nursing profession, in this study, the work ability index (WAI) of nurses was investigated in different departments in one of the hospitals affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: The present study is descriptive and analytical. The Work Ability Index questionnaire was used to evaluate work ability. First, 100 nurses were selected, and the collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 23) using descriptive and analytical statistical tests. Results: In this study, 45%, 32%, 16%, and 7% of individuals had average, good, excellent, and poor WA, respectively. The mean WAI was higher in single people than in married ones (P=0.032). The WAI of nurses was statistically significant according to their employment status (P=0.01). There was no significant difference between the WAI based on the type of department (P=0.224). Likewise, the WAI was lower in nurses who had a second job (P=0.04). Day-shift nurses had a higher WAI (P=0.01). Conclusion: In general, the WA status of nurses was in the average range. Given the relationship between some individual variables and the WAI, it is essential to adjust individuals' responsibilities based on these correlations to improve this index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]