Reliability of a questionnaire and an ergonomic checklist for assessing working conditions and health at call centres.

BACKGROUND: The purpose was to study the test-retest reliability and internal consistency of questions in a questionnaire concerning working conditions and health and the inter-rater reliability of observations and measurements according to an ergonomic checklist. METHOD: Fifty-seven operators participated in a retest questionnaire and 58 operators participated in an inter-observer test. RESULTS: The questions had fair to good or higher reliability in 142 of the total of 312. Twenty-seven of the total of 44 variables in the ergonomic checklist were classified as having fair to good or higher reliability. CONCLUSIONS: About half of the questions had fair to good or higher reliability and can be recommended for further analyses. The majority of variables in the ergonomic checklist were classified as having fair to good or higher reliability. Low reliability does not necessarily indicate that the reliability of the test, per se, is low but may signify that the conditions measured vary over time or that the answers are aggregated in one part of the scale.     

The treatment of wastewater containing pharmaceuticals in microcosm constructed wetlands: the occurrence of integrons (int1–2) and associated resistance genes (sul1–3, qacEΔ1)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1–3) and other genetic elements as antiseptic resistance...     

Assessment of boscalid and pyraclostrobin disappearance and behavior following application of effective microorganisms on apples

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to assess the disappearance of boscalid (IUPAC name: 2-chloro-N-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)phenyl]pyridine-3-carboxamide) and pyraclostrobin (IUPAC name: methyl N-[2-[[1-(4-chlorophenyl)pyrazol-3-yl]oxymethyl]phenyl]-N-methoxycarbamate) residues in apple fruit, and to verify whether an organic fertilizer enriched with strains of antagonistic microorganisms can reduce pesticide residue levels. Field trials were conducted in a commercial orchard on apples of the Gloster variety, during 21 days after the treatment with Bellis 38 WG and the subsequent application of Zumba Plant formulation containing Bacillus spp., Trichoderma spp. and Glomus spp. In control samples, the decrease rate of boscalid and pyraclostrobin residue levels followed an exponential function, described by formulae R_t = 0.2824e^?0.071t and R_t = 0.1176e^?0.060t, with the coefficient of determination of r² = 0.8692 and r² = 0.9268, respectively. These levels dropped to half (t_1/2) of their initial values after 9.8 and 11.5 days, respectively. The treatment with Zumba Plant resulted in a reduction in boscalid and pyraclostrobin residue levels by 52% and 41%, respectively. The results of this study are of importance for horticulture sciences and for producers of apples using plant protection products (PPPs).     

Working conditions in a selected sample of call centre companies in Sweden

BACKGROUND: Call centres (CCs) are among the most rapidly growing forms of workplaces in Sweden. The purpose of the study was to describe and compare working conditions between operators at internal and external CC companies and work tasks of different complexity. METHOD: A questionnaire was answered by 1183 operators, 848 women and 335 men, from 28 different CCs. The questionnaire covered background factors, employment, working hours and remuneration, call logging and monitoring, duties, computer work and workplace design during the previous month. RESULTS: Operators at external companies and operators with low-complexity work tasks were younger, more often employed by the hour and worked on a varying roster. They spent longer time on customer calls and had less varied tasks. Additional remuneration, call logging and monitoring were more common at external companies and among operators with low-complexity work tasks. CONCLUSION: The working conditions varied between internal and external CCs. There was also a variation in working conditions between work tasks of different complexity. There were aspects of supervision style and organization of work at CCs, especially at external ones and those with low-complexity tasks that could introduce stress and lack of well being among the staff.     

Ammoniacal leaching and recovery of copper from alloyed low-grade e-waste

The paper concerns a hydrometallurgical method for selective recovery of copper from low-grade electric and electronic wastes. The following consecutive stages were proposed: smelting of the scraps to produce Cu–Zn–Ag alloy, leaching of the alloy in ammoniacal solution, and selective copper electrowinning. Cu–Zn–Ag alloy was a polymetallic and five-phase system. It was leached in chloride, carbonate, sulfate and thiosulfate solutions. This resulted in the separation of the metals, wherein metallic tin and silver as well as lead salts remained in the slimes, while copper and zinc were transferred to the electrolyte. Copper was selectively recovered from the ammoniacal solutions by the electrolysis, leaving zinc ions in the electrolyte. The best conditions of the alloy treatment were obtained in the ammonia–carbonate system, where the final product was copper of high purity (99.9 %) at the current efficiency of 60 %. Thiosulfate solution was not applicable for the leaching of the copper alloy due to secondary reactions of the formation of copper(I) thiosulfate complexes and precipitation of copper(I) sulfide, both inhibiting dissolution of the metallic material.     

Energy-efficient removal of carbamazepine in solution by electrocoagulation-electrofenton using a novel P-rGO cathode

In this study,carbamazepine(CBZ) decay in solution has been studied by coupling electrocoagulation with electro-Fenton(EC-EF) with a novel P-rGO/carbon felt(CF) cathode,aiming to accelerate the in-situ generation of ·OH,instead of adding Fe²⁺ and H₂ O₂.Firstly,the fabricated P-rGO and its derived cathode were characterized by XRD,SEM,AFM,XPS and electrochemical test(EIS,CV and LSV).Secondly,it was confirmed that the performance in removal efficiency and electric ...     

Symptoms and Clinical Findings From the Musculoskeletal System Among Operators at a Call Centre in Sweden—A 10-Month Follow-Up Study

The musculoskeletal health among 57 operators at 1 call centre in Sweden was studied with 10 monthly follow-ups, parallel to a reference group of 1,226 professional computer users in other occupations. Operators at this call centre were more symptom-loaded than the other professional computer users in spite of their younger age and shorter exposure to computer work. Symptoms were long-lasting or recurrent. Muscle tenderness and nerve affections in the neck- shoulder region were the most common specific findings and diagnoses at medical examination of incident symptom cases. More extensive studies should be done on the working conditions and health status among call centre workers.     

Occupational Exposure to Harmful Chemical Substances While Processing Phenol-Formaldehyde Resins

Air pollutants emitted while processing phenol-formaldehyde resins have been investigated. Gas chromatography-mass-selective detection was used to separate and identify chemical compounds. It was determined that workers were exposed to formaldehyde in all workplaces. Besides, phenol, acetaldehyde, acrylaldehyde, 2-furaldehyde, xylene, ethylbenzene, toluene, tetrachlorethene, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate were found during the production of frictional materials; and 2-furaldehyde, phenol, naphthalene, 2-furan-methanol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during the production of abrasive materials. Quantitative analyses were performed with gas chromatogra-phy and high performance liquid chromatography. Assessment of occupational exposure indicated that chemical compounds emitted during the investigated processes might be dangerous for human health, mainly because of suspected carcinogenic compounds: formaldehyde and PAHs.     

Stiff Biodegradable Polylactide Composites with Ultrafine Cellulose Filler

Polylactide (PLA) composites with 10–30 wt% of commercial fine grain filler of native cellulose were prepared by melt-mixing, and examined. The composite films had esthetic appearance, glossy surface, creamy color and density close to that of neat PLA. Good dispersion of the filler in PLA matrix was achieved. The composites were stiffer than neat PLA; in the glassy region the storage modulus increased by approx. 30 %. The tensile strength of the composite materials in the temperature range from 25 to 45 °C was similar to that of neat PLA. No marked decrease in molar mass of PLA in the composites occurred during processing in comparison to neat PLA. Moreover, thermogravimetry experiments demonstrated good thermal stability of the composites; 5 % weight loss occurred well above 300 °C.