Workplace Surveillance in Canada: A survey on the adoption and use of employee monitoring applications.

Employee monitoring apps (i.e., 'bossware') have become increasingly affordable and accessible on the open market. Apps such as Interguard and Teramind provide companies with a powerful degree of surveillance about workers, including keystroke logging, location and browser monitoring, and even webcam usage. However, as homes have become offices, and laptops and smartphones are used for business, school, and entertainment, the increasing surveillance of 'remote work' blurs the boundaries between work and personal spaces. Drawing from an interdisciplinary study on the proliferation of employee monitoring applications (EMAs) in a nascent era of 'remote work', this paper presents findings from a survey examining Canadian companies' adoption of EMAs. The findings identify the most prevalent economic sectors that 'bossware' is currently being used within, the rationalities that underpin the ongoing use of EMAs in Canada (such as COVID-19, 'productivity/efficiency', 'cybersecurity', and 'health/wellness'), and the features of the most sought after 'bossware' apps for Canadian companies (such as time tracking, website tracking, and keystroke logging). We conclude with an analysis of how dominant surveillance discourses drive the adoption of monitoring practices, including how they inform the anticipated benefits of surveillance for the management of remote work and digital labour.

Les applications de surveillance des employés (c'est-à-dire les "bossware") sont devenues de plus en plus abordables et accessibles sur le marché libre. Des applications telles qu'Interguard et Teramind offrent aux entreprises un degré élevé de surveillance des travailleurs, y compris l'enregistrement des frappes au clavier, la localisation et la surveillance du navigateur, et même l'utilisation de la webcam. Cependant, comme les maisons sont devenues des bureaux et que les ordinateurs portables et les smartphones sont utilisés pour le travail, l'école et les loisirs, la surveillance croissante du "travail à distance" brouille les frontières entre le travail et les espaces personnels. S'inspirant d'une étude interdisciplinaire sur la prolifération des applications de surveillance des employés à l'ère naissante du "travail à distance", cet article présente les résultats d'une enquête portant sur l'adoption des applications de surveillance des employés par les entreprises canadiennes. Les résultats identifient les secteurs économiques les plus répandus dans lesquels les "bossware" sont actuellement utilisés, les rationalités qui sous-tendent l'utilisation continue des applications de surveillance des employés au Canada (telles que COVID-19, "productivité/efficacité", "cybersécurité" et "santé/bien-être"), et les caractéristiques des applications de "bossware" les plus recherchées par les entreprises canadiennes (telles que le suivi du temps, le suivi des sites web et l'enregistrement des frappes). Nous concluons par une analyse de la manière dont les discours dominants sur la surveillance conduisent à l'adoption de pratiques de surveillance, y compris la manière dont ils informent les avantages anticipés de la surveillance pour la gestion du travail à distance et du travail numérique.

[Minimally invasive technique as the gold standard of adrenal surgery]. / A minimálisan invazív technika mint a mellékvese-sebészet "gold standardja"

INTRODUCTION: Minimal invasive surgery of the adrenal gland is a "gold standard" procedure worldwide. Authors compare operative data to a historical control group retrospectively analyzing an almost 15 years period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 1997 and 2011, 175 transabdominal laparoscopic adrenalectomies were performed with the lateral approach. On the left side, a new "suprasplenic" approach was introduced with the superior mobilization of the spleen, and transection of the short gastric vessels. For larger lesions (above 7 cm) hand assisted laparoscopic method was applied. RESULTS: Average operative time of laparoscopic surgery was 77 minutes, compared to 115 minutes of open surgery. The average size of the tumor was 3.1 cm in the laparoscopic, and 4.9 cm in the open group. The largest tumors were similar in both groups, however the rate of smaller sized lesions was higher in the laparoscopic one. Conversion was required in 15 cases (8.6%) mostly due to bleeding. Complication rate was 10.8% in the laparoscopic and 24.6% in the conventional group. Hospital stay was significantly shorter with the laparoscopic technique (4.5 vs. 8.1 days). Among laparoscopic cases unexpected primary malignancy was reported in 3 cases (1.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The laparoscopic technique is the procedure of choice in case of benign adrenal tumors, which offer many advantages. Most metastasis localized to the adrenals can also be removed laparoscopically with expertise and self-restraint, without oncologic compromise. To assure the quality of pre- and postoperative care, cooperation with an endocrinologist is indispensable.

Comparison of the investigation and treatment of acute appendicitis in our surgical department during the pre-pandemic period of COVID-19 and in the III. pandemic wave / Akut appendicitis kivizsgálásának és kezelésének összehasonlítása sebészeti osztályunkon a COVID-19-pandémia elotti idoszak és a pandémia III. hulláma alatt

Introduction. Appendicitis is one of the most common causes of acute abdominal surgical indications. WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus infection a pandemic on the 11.03.2020., affecting all segments of healthcare. Management of the acute cases also faced new challenges as a result of the restrictive measures taken during the pandemic, affecting the population and healthcare providers. In our surgical department, during the medical care of those diagnosed with acute appendicitis, in the absence of uniform professional protocols, we often required individual considerations. In the absence of universal professional guidelines, during the medical care of those who had been diagnosed with acute appendicitis we often required individual considerations in our surgical department. Aim. the comparison of the time elapsed between the onset of the symptoms and the time the patients arrived to our surgical department, the frequency of hospitalisation and the frequency and difference between postoperative complications in patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis during the pre-pandemic period of SARS-CoV-2 and the III. wave of COVID-19. Methods. in our retrospective analysis we included those more than 18-years old patients who were diagnosed with the clinic-radiological picture of acute appendicitis during the pre-pandemic 6 months (16. 09. 2019. ­ 16. 03. 2020.) and the III. wave of COVID-19 (01. 11. 2020. ­ 01. 04. 2021.). We compared the length of time between the onset of symptoms and the beginning of hospitalisation, the complexity of appendicitis, the method of surgery used, the duration of hospitalisation and the development of postoperative complications. Statistical significance was examined by t-test and Fischer-test. Results. 64 patients were included, 47 in the pre-pandemic period and 17 in the III. wave of COVID-19. During the pandemic, the number of people diagnosed with acute appendicitis showed a declining trend, however the incidence of complicated appendicitis increased (26% « 35%). In the III. wave of COVID-19, the time between the onset of symptoms and the examination was 27,3 h longer on average (P = 0.275), the hospitalisation was 17.3 h longer (P = 0.412) and the postoperative complications (2.12% « 23.5%) and surgical conversions (0% « 21%) were also significantly different (P = 0.264), but there was no significant correlation in either case. Conclusion. although there was no significant correlation in our analysis, it appears that during the pandemic, patients sought medical attention later and with more severe symptoms, resulting in progression of acute appendicitis.

Operating-System Design and Its Implications for Victims of Family Violence: The Comparative Threat of Smart Phone Spyware for Android Versus iPhone Users.

Spyware products sold to general consumer audiences are a greater threat to those who own Android devices than those who own iPhones. This is a consequence of the Android operating system being more permissive of software functionality, allowing third-party developers greater latitude to build programs of less-restrained capability. Such risks, however, are disproportionately carried by victims of family violence who are significantly threatened by the rise of spyware. This article reflects on the connections between coding choices and personal security risks, and the implications for responding to the use of spyware in the context of family violence.

Interspecies Variation in the Susceptibility of a Wild-Derived Colony of Mice to Pinworms (Aspiculuris tetraptera).

Pinworms are common parasites in wild and laboratory rodents. Despite their relative nonpathogenicity in immunocompetent models, pinworm infections add an unwanted variable and may confound some types of research. For this reason, health monitoring programs and biosecurity measures aim to minimize the spread of pinworm infections into colonies free from the organisms. Wild-derived and laboratory strains of mice have shown varied susceptibility to infection with Aspiculuris tetraptera, the most commonly found murine pinworm. In particular, susceptibility is increased in wild-derived mice, young animals, and males. Routine surveillance at our institution revealed pinworm infection (A. tetraptera only) within a colony of multiple, wild-derived species of Mus, although only specific species showed positive results during initial sampling. To assess whether species-associated differences in susceptibility were present, we analyzed fecal egg counts of A. tetraptera in every cage of the colony. Our results revealed significant differences in susceptibility between various species and subspecies of Mus. Egg counts were significantly higher in Mus spicilegus than Mus m. domesticus (WSB/EiJ) and Mus macedonicus. Mus spretus had higher egg counts than M. m. domesticus (WSB/EiJ), M. m. musculus (PWK/PhJ), and M. macedonicus. Egg counts did not differ in regard to age, sex, or number of mice per cage. As wild-derived mouse models continue to compliment research largely based on laboratory strains, it will be important to understand host-parasite interactions and their effects on research, particularly studies evaluating immune responses, behavior, growth, and other physiologic parameters.