Health, sleep and lack of time: relations to domestic and paid work in nurses

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether reported morbidity and complaints of lack of time and sleep are associated with the burden of professional work and housework among nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out among female nurses and nurse assistants (N=206) of a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The prevalence ratio and 95% confidence intervals were estimated. RESULTS: Mean duration of professional work and housework time was 40.4 and 31.6 hours/week, respectively. Long professional working time (over 44 hours/week) were associated with mild emotional disorders (PR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.05-1.80), complaints of lack of time for resting/leisure (PR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.31-1.97), housework (PR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.12-1.97), and childcare (PR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.51-2.63). Long housework time (over 28 hours/week) was associated with lower prevalence of lack of time for childcare (PR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.46-0.84). High housework load was associated with lack of personal time and complaints of varicose veins (PR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.14-1.50 and PR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.08-1.58, respectively). Complaints of varicose veins were also frequent among female nurses with a total work load above 84 hours (PR=1.30; 95% CI: 1.05-1.61), though this group has shown a lower prevalence of arterial hypertension and recurrent headaches (PR=0.35; 95% CI: 0.15-0.83 and PR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.32-0.89, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that both professional and home environments are relevant in the evaluation of work overload on nurses' health and their family and social life. It is stressed the need for instruments for analyzing total workload among female populations.

Job control, job demands, social support at work and health among adolescent workers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate physical and psychological dimensions of adolescent labor (such as job demands, job control, and social support in the work environment), and their relation to reported body pain, work injuries, sleep duration and daily working hours. METHODS: A total of 354 adolescents attending evening classes at a public school in São Paulo, Brazil, answered questionnaires regarding their living and working conditions (Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire, 1998), and their health status. Data collection took place in April and May 2001. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine relations among variables. RESULTS: Psychological job demands were related to body pain (OR=3.3), higher risk of work injuries (OR=3.0) and reduced sleep duration in weekdays (Monday to Thursday) (p<0.01). Lower decision authority in the workplace (p=0.03) and higher job security (p=0.02) were related to longer daily working hours. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that besides physical stressors, psychological factors are to be taken into account when studying adolescent working conditions, as they may be associated with negative job conditions and health effects.

Offshore work and the work of nurses on board: an integrative review

OBJECTIVETo know the production of theoretical approaches on issues related to offshore work and the work of offshore nurses.METHODIntegrative literature review conducted in the databases of LILACS, BDENF, MEDLINE, SciELO and Index PSI.RESULTSWe selected 33 studies published in national and international journals between 1997 and 2014. The thematic analysis corpus resulted in four central themes: offshore work environment; amid work adversities, an escape; structuring of offshore health and safety services; in search of safe practices.CONCLUSIONThis study contributes to the offshore work of nurses in relation to the nature of work, acting amid adversities and the restless search for safe practices in the open sea.

Differential effects of aging on spatial contrast sensitivity to linear and polar sine-wave gratings

Changes in visual function beyond high-contrast acuity are known to take place during normal aging. We determined whether sensitivity to linear sine-wave gratings and to an elementary stimulus preferentially processed in extrastriate areas could be distinctively affected by aging. We measured spatial contrast sensitivity twice for concentric polar (Bessel) and vertical linear gratings of 0.6, 2.5, 5, and 20 cycles per degree (cpd) in two age groups (20-30 and 60-70 years). All participants were free of identifiable ocular disease and had normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity. Participants were more sensitive to Cartesian than to polar gratings in all frequencies tested, and the younger adult group was more sensitive to all stimuli tested. Significant differences between sensitivities of the two groups were found for linear (only 20 cpd; P<0.01) and polar gratings (all frequencies tested; P<0.01). The young adult group was significantly more sensitive to linear than to circular gratings in the 20 cpd frequency. The older adult group was significantly more sensitive to linear than to circular gratings in all spatial frequencies, except in the 20 cpd frequency. The results suggest that sensitivity to the two kinds of stimuli is affected differently by aging. We suggest that neural changes in the aging brain are important determinants of this difference and discuss the results according to current models of human aging.

Towards modular regionalism: the proliferation of Latin American cooperation

This article addresses three questions: why there was a surge in regional cooperation projects in Latin America in the last decade; how to characterize the current multi-faceted scenario; and how to make this complexity work. After a review of six theoretical perspectives, an original conceptual approach is proposed: "modular regionalism." This credibly answers the three questions and offers policy recommendations.

Are public officials really less satisfied than private sector workers?A comparative study in Brazil

This research aims to compare the public and private sectors with regard to satisfaction at work. We conducted a survey with 670 professionals from both sectors in Brazil. The results of variance analysis confirm previous researches indicating that public officials are less satisfied with their work than private sector workers. However, this result does not repeat when we evaluate the satisfaction dimensions. For instance, public officials reported being more satisfied than private sector workers with regard to social environment and work stability. Unexpectedly, the results suggest that there is no difference between these sectors when we analyze the satisfaction with supervision. Therefore, this article is relevant for Brazilian managers, by offering an empirical research on the distinction between public and private. The article also discusses the theoretical implications, since Brazilian findings do not completely support the international literature.

Advances and challenges in oral health after a decade of the “Smiling Brazil” Program

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze oral health work changes in primary health care after Brazil’s National Oral Health Policy Guidelines were released. METHODS A literature review was conducted on Medline, LILACS, Embase, SciELO, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, and The Cochrane Library databases, from 2000 to 2013, on elements to analyze work changes. The descriptors used included: primary health care, family health care, work, health care policy, oral health care services, dentistry, oral health, and Brazil. Thirty-two studies were selected and analyzed, with a predominance of qualitative studies from the Northeast region with workers, especially dentists, focusing on completeness and quality of care. RESULTS Observed advances focused on educational and permanent education actions; on welcoming, bonding, and accountability. The main challenges were related to completeness; extension and improvement of care; integrated teamwork; working conditions; planning, monitoring, and evaluation of actions; stimulating people’s participation and social control; and intersectorial actions. CONCLUSIONS Despite the new regulatory environment, there are very few changes in oral health work. Professionals tend to reproduce the dominant biomedical model. Continuing efforts will be required in work management, training, and permanent education fields. Among the possibilities are the increased engagement of managers and professionals in a process to understand work dynamics and training in the perspective of building significant changes for local realities.

Benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of water quality in an Atlantic forest fragment

The objective of this study was to evaluate benthic macroinvertebrate communities as bioindicators of water quality in five streams located in the "Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural" (RPPN) Mata Samuel de Paula and its surroundings, in the municipality of Nova Lima near the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. This region has been strongly modified by human activities including mining and urbanization. Samples were collected in the field every three months between August 2004 and November 2005, totaling six samplings in the rainy and dry seasons. This assessment identified one area ecologically altered while the other sampling sites were found to be minimally disturbed systems, with well-preserved ecological conditions. However, according to the Biological Monitoring Work Party (BMWP) and the Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT) indices, all sampling sites had excellent water quality. A total of 14,952 organisms was collected, belonging to 155 taxa (148 Insecta, two Annelida, one Bivalvia, one Decapoda, one Planariidae, one Hydracarina, and one Entognatha). The most abundant benthic groups were Chironomidae (47.9%), Simuliidae (12.3%), Bivalvia (7.5%), Decapoda (6.1%), Oligochaeta (5.2%), Polycentropodidae (3.7%), Hydropsychidae (2.5%), Calamoceratidae (1.8%), Ceratopogonidae (1.7%), and Libellulidae (1.2%). The assessment of the benthic functional feeding groups showed that 34% of the macroinvertebrates were collector-gatherers, 29% predators, 24% collector-filterers, 8% shredders, and 5% scrapers. The RPPN Mata Samuel de Paula comprises diversified freshwater habitats that are of great importance for the conservation of many benthic taxa that are intolerant to organic pollution.

Power and selection of contract terms: The case from the Brazilian orange juice sector

ABSTRACT We propose a model to explain how contract terms are selected in the presence of a form of economic power: contract power. The orange juice sector is used to illustrate an analysis that demonstrates the effects of contract power on the economic organization of the sector. We define contract power as the ability to exploit contractual gaps or failures of contractual provisions, which are strategically left incomplete. Empirical evidence from content analysis of antitrust documents supports the logic of contract power in the orange juice sector in three forms: avoiding changes to payment methods from weight to solid contents (quality); using information asymmetries to manipulate indexes that calculate the formula of orange prices; and deliberately harvesting oranges late in order to dehydrate the fruit, which consequently reduces weight and price. The paper contributes to understanding the selection of contract terms and the debate about how antitrust offices can deal with this issue.

Contaminação ambiental por compostos organoestânicos

The occurrence and the effects of organotin compounds (OTs) have been studied since a long time, due to their widespread use and deleterious effects. Some OTs are used as pesticides in crops, or as biocides in antifouling paints, applied in the ship hulls to avoid attachment and growth of tube worms, mussels and barnacles. However, "nontarget" organisms may be exposed, resulting in the poisoning of biological system, originating mutations and sentencing species to extinction. In this work we reported a revision study on the history of OTs and the techniques developed for its assessment and control.

Esquizofrenia: quarenta anos da hipótese dopaminérgica sob a ótica da Química Medicinal

Schizophrenia is a devastating psychiatric illness that affects 1-2% of the world population and continues as a challenge to neuroscience. In this work, we describe an account about the historical evolution of the dopaminergic hypothesis of schizophrenia discussing, from the medicinal chemistry point of view all different classes of antipsychotic drugs, emphasizing the rational design, structure activity relationships (SAR) and physico-chemical properties related with its molecular mechanism of action.

Quantificação de antimônio em garrafas de politereftalato de etileno (PET) brasileiras por fluorescência de raios-X e avaliação quimiométrica para verificar a presença de pet reciclado através do teor de ferro

Antimony is a common catalyst in the synthesis of polyethylene terephthalate used for food-grade bottles manufacturing. However, antimony residues in final products are transferred to juices, soft drinks or water. The literature reports mentions of toxicity associated to antimony. In this work, a green, fast and direct method to quantify antimony, sulfur, iron and copper, in PET bottles by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is presented. 2.4 to 11 mg Sb kg-1 were found in 20 samples analyzed. The coupling of the multielemental technique to chemometric treatment provided also the possibility to classify PET samples between bottle-grade PET/recycled PET blends by Fe content.

Telerobotics: Methodology for the Development of a Through-the-Internet Robotic Teleoperated System

This work presents a methodology for the development of Teleoperated Robotic Systems through the Internet. Initially, it is presented a bibliographical review of the Telerobotic systems that uses Internet as way of control. The methodology is implemented and tested through the development of two systems. The first is a manipulator with two degrees of freedom commanded remotely through the Internet denominated RobWebCam (http://www.graco.unb.br/robwebcam). The second is a system which teleoperates an ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) Industrial Robot of six degrees of freedom denominated RobWebLink (http://webrobot.graco.unb.br). RobWebCam is composed of a manipulator with two degrees of freedom, a video camera, Internet, computers and communication driver between the manipulator and the Unix system; and RobWebLink composed of the same components plus the Industrial Robot. With the use of this technology, it is possible to move far distant positioning objects minimizing transport costs, materials and people; acting in real time in the process that is wanted to be controller. This work demonstrates that the teleoperating via Internet of robotic systems and other equipments is viable, in spite of using rate transmission data with low bandwidth. Possible applications include remote surveillance, control and remote diagnosis and maintenance of machines and equipments.

SULFENTRAZONE SELECTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY IN CASSAVA CROPS IN SANDY AND CLAYEY SOILS

ABSTRACT Weeds have the potential to dramatically interfere in cassava cultivation, reducing its productive potential; however, there are few studies on the selective herbicides in this crop. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate in this work the selectivity and efficiency of sulfentrazone in cassava crops grown in sandy and clayey soils. Two experiments were carried out: The first one was carried out in sandy soil conditions in the conventional system; and the second one was carried out in clayey soil conditions in the no-tillage system. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications. The treatments consisted in doses of 250, 500, 750 and 1,000 g ha-1 of sulfentrazone, and weeded and non-weeded controls. Sulfentrazone application in cassava crops has linearly reduced the production of roots in a proportion of 0.0153 and 0.0107 t ha-1 at each increment in grams of the active ingredient, respectively. It was concluded that sulfentrazone was not selective for cassava crops grown both in sandy and in clayey soil; however, it was highly effective in weed control in both soils.

Sleep patterns and sleep-related complaints of Brazilian interstate bus drivers

Sleep-related complaints have become a highlight for physicians as well as public health administrators. Studies of sleep patterns and sleep-related complaints of shift workers have been useful in minimizing reduction in the quality of life due to the warping of the sleep-wake cycle. The objective of the present study was to assess patterns of sleep, sleep-related complaints as well as physical activity and scoring rates for depression and anxiety in interstate bus drivers. Data were obtained with a sleep questionnaire, with the Beck inventory for depression, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). A total of 400 interstate bus drivers from the northern, southern, central-western and south-eastern regions of Brazil were interviewed. Sixty percent of the subjects interviewed presented at least one sleep-related complaint, 16% admitted to have dozed at the wheel while on duty, and 41% stated that they exercised on a regular basis. Other sleep disturbance complaints reported were: sleep latency 29'17"; physical fatigue, 59.8%; mental fatigue, 45.4%; sleepiness, 25.8%; irritability, 20.6%; insomnia, 37.5%, respiratory disturbances, 19.25% and snoring, 20.75%. Scores for anxiety and depression were not in the pathological range. The present data reinforce the view that bus drivers are generally discontent with shift work and its effects on sleep. Consequently, it is very important to establish an appropriate work schedule for drivers, besides implementing photo-therapy and physical activities in order to minimize sleepiness when driving.