GPU UTILIZATION IN GEOPROCESSING BIG GEODATA: A REVIEW

The expansion of data collection from remote sensing and other geographic data sources, as well as from other technology such as cloud, sensors, mobile, and social media, have made mapping and analysis more complex. Some geospatial applications continue to rely on conventional geospatial processing, where limitation on computation capabilities often lacking to attain significant data interpretation. In recent years, GPU processing has improved far more GIS applications than using CPU alone. As a result, numerous researchers have begun utilising GPUs for scientific, geometric, and database computations in addition to graphics hardware use. This paper summarizes parallel processing concept and architecture, the development of GPU geoprocessing for big geodata ranging from remote sensing and 3D modelling to smart cities studies. This paper also addresses the GPU future trends advancement opportunities with other technologies, machine learning, deep learning, and cloud-based computing.

Supporting Staff in Southern Family Planning Clinics: Challenges and Opportunities

Objectives The aim of this study was to identify key challenges and opportunities to better support non-clinician clinic staff at family planning centers in Southern US states. Methods We conducted qualitative interviews with 15 individuals in clinic staff and leadership positions at family planning centers in seven Southern states. Results Turnover had negative impacts on both clinic functioning as well as patient care. Participants identified several challenges related to recruitment and retention in family planning health centers in the South, including the conservative contextual landscape, the perceived value of support staff, gaps in communication, and rural locations. In response to these challenges, staff also identified key strategies to better support and retain health center workers. These included prioritizing investment in management, creating career advancement opportunities, prioritizing staff retention, and creating space for self-care. Health center staff and leadership who used these strategies to support and retain staff noted improvements in the effectiveness of staff work as well as increases in patient volume. Conclusions for Practice Study findings provide key areas for intervention including providing development opportunities, commitment from leadership to recognize and invest in staff and supporting self-care. Focusing on ensuring internal organizational justice for staff may also facilitate resilience to external challenging environments. Better supporting clinic staff is likely also important for quality services and ensures the full workforce involved in providing family planning care can work at full capacity.

Men’s Experiences in Feminized Occupations on the Example of Selected Professions

The issues raised in this article concern the functioning of men in feminized professions. The aim of the study was to gather experiences of men working in jobs dominated by women. The research included twenty men and was conducted between February and April 2020 in Poland, using a narrative interview. Research problems were focused on men’s attitudes toward their jobs, the assessment of career advancement opportunities, advantages and disadvantages resulting from working in a feminine environment, relations with colleagues and employers, and reactions of their environment. The interviews revealed a relatively positive image of men’s experiences relating to working with women. The respondents did not notice any specific difficulties in their professions caused by gender stereotypes. They expressed a view that working among women was like any other job. Few difficulties mentioned by the respondents were related mostly to the issue of assistance in activities requiring strength or technical knowledge rather than competences related to a specific profession. Moreover, the interviewees treated their professions as an opportunity for self-development and for gaining experience that they would not have been able to gain in a typically male environment.

Predicting Students’ Interest in Aging-Related Careers: Suggestions for Pedagogical Intervention

College students often hold negative attitudes toward elders and rank this area of practice at the bottom of their future professional life; colleges and universities have an important role to play in changing attitudes and attracting more professionals to work with older adults. This study examined factors contributing to students’ attitudes toward older adults to provide suggestions for pedagogical intervention. Data was collected from 195 undergraduates participating in an online survey with questions on the quality of relationships with a grandparent and other nonfamilial older adults, previous experience and future interest in pursuing a career in an aging-related field, and The Fabroni Scale of Ageism (Fabroni et al., 2010). Path analyses using hierarchical multiple regression revealed that high quality relationships with older adults (i.e., both grandparents and nonfamilial elders) was associated with less negative attitudes and more interest in pursuing a future career in age-related jobs/internships. Although both types of relationship quality were significant in the model (p<.05), path coefficients demonstrated that relationships with nonfamilial elders have a greater impact on participants’ attitudes (β= -.250, p=.001 versus β= -.146, p=.045). Previous working/internship experiences with older adults also predicted a greater willingness to pursue a future career in an aging-related field (β= .333, p<.001). Findings suggest that colleges could increase students’ interest in pursuing aging-related careers with multiple interventions, such as developing opportunities to interact and build relationships with older adults in the community, updating information on job opportunities, pay scales, and advancement opportunities, and providing more gerontological course or modules.

Overcoming racism in the twin spheres of conservation science and practice

It is time to acknowledge and overcome conservation's deep-seated systemic racism, which has historically marginalized Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) communities and continues to do so. We describe how the mutually reinforcing ‘twin spheres’ of conservation science and conservation practice perpetuate this systemic racism. We trace how institutional structures in conservation science (e.g. degree programmes, support and advancement opportunities, course syllabuses) can systematically produce conservation graduates with partial and problematic conceptions of conservation's history and contemporary purposes. Many of these graduates go on to work in conservation practice, reproducing conservation's colonial history by contributing to programmes based on outmoded conservation models that disproportionately harm rural BIPOC communities and further restrict access and inclusion for BIPOC conservationists. We provide practical, actionable proposals for breaking vicious cycles of racism in the system of conservation we have with virtuous cycles of inclusion, equality, equity and participation in the system of conservation we want.

Proposition and Validation of Retention Model for Managers in Select Indian Private Sector Banks

Purpose- Focusing on private banking industry in Delhi (India), the study intent to identify the direct and indirect influence of select individual, internal (organizational) and external (environment) variables on retention of bank managers. Three retention models for banking industry with the said variables had been hypothesized and tested to find that most appropriate model. Design/Methodology/Approach - The required data of 301 lower and middle level managers was finalized using stratified random sampling. The managers examined for the study were with minimum two years of experience in the same bank. The study was conducted in two phases- (i) Significant determinants of retention were identified using multiple and hierarchical regression analysis, (ii) Involving only significant determinants three retention models were created and tested using Structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings- SEM result of best fit model suggests that perceived alternative employment opportunities, perceived organizations prestige, perceived competitiveness of pay, pay and benefits satisfaction, career advancement opportunities, work-life balance, and job satisfaction have significant effect on retention of managers and the result is consistent with regression analysis of the work. Moreover, final model showed retention acting as mediator between other variables and retention, though the indirect effect was found to be very weak. Practical Implications- The findings of the study will be serviceable for the banks want to keep those managers who had already spend a good amount of time in the bank. Originality/Value- Rather than including two or three predictors, the current work has considered determinants of retention from various dimensions. The study extended its area by making an effort to involve only those who retained in the organization for two years and can actually have an opinion on the matter or factors affecting their stay.

How good are jobs in New Zealand?

Based on an analysis of the New Zealand data in the Work Orientation module of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) across three rounds (1997, 2005 and 2015), this paper examines how workers in New Zealand perceive their job quality. These surveys imply that New Zealanders have relatively good jobs, as shown in healthy levels of job quality and job satisfaction. They rate highly the quality of their collegial relationships at work and typically perceive the intrinsic quality of their job as better than the extrinsic quality. A key issue in relation to the latter is that they generally do not rate their advancement opportunities as high. While men, full-timers and graduates have some advantages over women, part-timers and non-graduates in extrinsic job quality, the intrinsic quality of work is more evenly experienced. In terms of intrinsic issues, the rising level of stress from 2005 to 2015 poses a concern and there is no evidence that graduates enjoy any kind of premium in the intrinsic quality of work apart from a lower level of hard physical effort.

Permanent Black Immigrants’ Experiences of Working in Ontario

This Major Research Paper is a qualitative study that utilizes a narrative approach through an anti-Black racism lens to investigate the cultural, historical, political and socioeconomic factors that influences the career advancement and employment journey for Black immigrants in Ontario, specifically those from the Caribbean. This study follows the employment journey of two adults of African descent in Ontario. Through their stories, the two participants detail their experiences with subtle systemic racism and resulting precarious employment. Other common themes that emerged amongst the participants were low income status, blocked career advancement opportunities, maintaining multiple jobs, lack of training specifically for Black immigrant adults, and low wage employment. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of changing policies and structures in order to remove the barriers to stable employment and career advancement faced by people of African descent. Keywords: Anti-Black Racism, Narrative, Ontario, African, Caribbean, Black, Employment Stability, Systemic and Policy

Permanent Black Immigrants’ Experiences of Working in Ontario

This Major Research Paper is a qualitative study that utilizes a narrative approach through an anti-Black racism lens to investigate the cultural, historical, political and socioeconomic factors that influences the career advancement and employment journey for Black immigrants in Ontario, specifically those from the Caribbean. This study follows the employment journey of two adults of African descent in Ontario. Through their stories, the two participants detail their experiences with subtle systemic racism and resulting precarious employment. Other common themes that emerged amongst the participants were low income status, blocked career advancement opportunities, maintaining multiple jobs, lack of training specifically for Black immigrant adults, and low wage employment. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of changing policies and structures in order to remove the barriers to stable employment and career advancement faced by people of African descent. Keywords: Anti-Black Racism, Narrative, Ontario, African, Caribbean, Black, Employment Stability, Systemic and Policy