Workloads, strain processes and sickness absenteeism in nursing

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the workloads, strain processes and sickness absenteeism among nursing workers from a teaching hospital in the Brazilian Central-West. METHOD: a descriptive and cross-sectional study was developed with a quantitative approach, based on the theoretical framework of the social determination of the health-disease process. Data were collected between January and December 2009, based on records of complaints related to occupational exposure among nursing professionals, filed in the software Monitoring System of Nursing Workers' Health. For the sake of statistical analysis, relative and absolute frequencies of the variables and the risk coefficient were considered. RESULTS: 144 notifications of occupational exposure were registered across the analysis period, which represented 25% of the total nursing population at the hospital. The physiological and psychic workloads were the most representative, corresponding to 37% and 36%, respectively. These notifications culminated in 1567 days of absenteeism for disease treatment. CONCLUSIONS: the findings evidence the impact of occupational illnesses on the absenteeism of nursing workers, and can be used to demonstrate the importance of institutional investments in occupational health surveillance

Multi-model evaluation of the sensitivity of the global energy budget and hydrological cycle to resolution

This study undertakes a multi-model comparison with the aim to describe and quantify systematic changes of the global energy and water budgets when the horizontal resolution of atmospheric models is increased and to identify common factors of these changes among models. To do so, we analyse an ensemble of twelve atmosphere-only and six coupled GCMs, with different model formulations and with resolutions spanning those of state-of-the-art coupled GCMs, i.e. from resolutions coarser than 100 km to resolutions finer than 25 km. The main changes in the global energy budget with resolution are a systematic increase in outgoing longwave radiation and decrease in outgoing shortwave radiation due to changes in cloud properties, and a systematic increase in surface latent heat flux; when resolution is increased from 100 to 25 km, the magnitude of the change of those fluxes can be as large as 5 W m−2. Moreover, all but one atmosphere-only model simulate a decrease of the poleward energy transport at higher resolution, mainly explained by a reduction of the equator-to-pole tropospheric temperature gradient. Regarding hydrological processes, our results are the following: (1) there is an increase of global precipitation with increasing resolution in all models (up to 40 × 103 km3 year−1) but the partitioning between land and ocean varies among models; (2) the fraction of total precipitation that falls on land is on average 10% larger at higher resolution in grid point models, but it is smaller at higher resolution in spectral models; (3) grid points models simulate an increase of the fraction of land precipitation due to moisture convergence twice as large as in spectral models; (4) grid point models, which have a better resolved orography, show an increase of orographic precipitation of up to 13 × 103 km3 year−1 which explains most of the change in land precipitation; (5) at the regional scale, precipitation pattern and amplitude are improved with increased resolution due to a better simulated seasonal mean circulation. We discuss our results against several observational estimates of the Earth's energy budget and hydrological cycle and show that they support recent high estimates of global precipitation

GWTC-3: Compact Binary Coalescences Observed by LIGO and Virgo during the Second Part of the Third Observing Run

The third Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog (GWTC-3) describes signals detected with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo up to the end of their third observing run. Updating the previous GWTC-2.1, we present candidate gravitational waves from compact binary coalescences during the second half of the third observing run (O3b) between 1 November 2019, 15∶00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and 27 March 2020, 17∶00 UTC. There are 35 compact binary coalescence candidates identified by at least one of our search algorithms with a probability of astrophysical origin pastro>0.5. Of these, 18 were previously reported as low-latency public alerts, and 17 are reported here for the first time. Based upon estimates for the component masses, our O3b candidates with pastro>0.5 are consistent with gravitational-wave signals from binary black holes or neutron-star-black-hole binaries, and we identify none from binary neutron stars. However, from the gravitational-wave data alone, we are not able to measure matter effects that distinguish whether the binary components are neutron stars or black holes. The range of inferred component masses is similar to that found with previous catalogs, but the O3b candidates include the first confident observations of neutron-star-black-hole binaries. Including the 35 candidates from O3b in addition to those from GWTC-2.1, GWTC-3 contains 90 candidates found by our analysis with pastro>0.5 across the first three observing runs. These observations of compact binary coalescences present an unprecedented view of the properties of black holes and neutron stars

Search for Gravitational Waves Associated with Fast Radio Bursts Detected by CHIME/FRB during the LIGO-Virgo Observing Run O3a

We search for gravitational-wave (GW) transients associated with fast radio bursts (FRBs) detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project, during the first part of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 April 1 15:00 UTC-2019 October 1 15:00 UTC). Triggers from 22 FRBs were analyzed with a search that targets both binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star-black hole (NSBH) mergers. A targeted search for generic GW transients was conducted on 40 FRBs. We find no significant evidence for a GW association in either search. Given the large uncertainties in the distances of our FRB sample, we are unable to exclude the possibility of a GW association. Assessing the volumetric event rates of both FRB and binary mergers, an association is limited to 15% of the FRB population for BNS mergers or 1% for NSBH mergers. We report 90% confidence lower bounds on the distance to each FRB for a range of GW progenitor models and set upper limits on the energy emitted through GWs for a range of emission scenarios. We find values of order 1051-1057 erg for models with central GW frequencies in the range 70-3560 Hz. At the sensitivity of this search, we find these limits to be above the predicted GW emissions for the models considered. We also find no significant coincident detection of GWs with the repeater, FRB 20200120E, which is the closest known extragalactic FRB

Clinical patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A multicenter prospective study

107noNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and may evolve into hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Only scanty clinical information is available on HCC in NAFLD. The aim of this multicenter observational prospective study was to assess the clinical features of patients with NAFLD-related HCC (NAFLD-HCC) and to compare them to those of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC. A total of 756 patients with either NAFLD (145) or HCV-related chronic liver disease (611) were enrolled in secondary care Italian centers. Survival was modeled according to clinical parameters, lead-time bias, and propensity analysis. Compared to HCV, HCC in NAFLD patients had a larger volume, showed more often an infiltrative pattern, and was detected outside specific surveillance. Cirrhosis was present in only about 50% of NAFLD-HCC patients, in contrast to the near totality of HCV-HCC. Regardless of tumor stage, survival was significantly shorter (P = 0.017) in patients with NAFLD-HCC, 25.5 months (95% confidence interval 21.9-29.1), than in those with HCV-HCC, 33.7 months (95% confidence interval 31.9-35.4). To eliminate possible confounders, a propensity score analysis was performed, which showed no more significant difference between the two groups. Additionally, analysis of patients within Milan criteria submitted to curative treatments did not show any difference in survival between NAFLD-HCC and HCV-HCC (respectively, 38.6 versus 41.0 months, P = nonsignificant) Conclusions: NAFLD-HCC is more often detected at a later tumor stage and could arise also in the absence of cirrhosis, but after patient matching, it has a similar survival rate compared to HCV infection; a future challenge will be to identify patients with NAFLD who require more stringent surveillance in order to offer the most timely and effective treatment. (Hepatology 2016;63:827-838)openopenPiscaglia F.; Svegliati-Baroni G.; Barchetti A.; Pecorelli A.; Marinelli S.; Tiribelli C.; Bellentani S.; Bernardi M.; Biselli M.; Caraceni P.; Domenicali M.; Garuti F.; Gramenzi A.; Lenzi B.; Magalotti D.; Cescon M.; Ravaioli M.; Del Poggio P.; Olmi S.; Rapaccini G.L.; Balsamo C.; Di Nolfo M.A.; Vavassori E.; Alberti A.; Benvegnau L.; Gatta A.; Giacomin A.; Vanin V.; Pozzan C.; Maddalo G.; Giampalma E.; Cappelli A.; Golfieri R.; Mosconi C.; Renzulli M.; Roselli P.; Dell'isola S.; Ialungo A.M.; Risso D.; Marenco S.; Sammito G.; Bruzzone L.; Bosco G.; Grieco A.; Pompili M.; Rinninella E.; Siciliano M.; Chiaramonte M.; Guarino M.; Camma C.; Maida M.; Costantino A.; Barcellona M.R.; Schiada L.; Gemini S.; Lanzi A.; Stefanini G.F.; Dall'aglio A.C.; Cappa F.M.; Suzzi A.; Mussetto A.; Treossi O.; Missale G.; Porro E.; Mismas V.; Vivaldi C.; Bolondi L.; Zoli M.; Granito A.; Malagotti D.; Tovoli F.; Trevisani F.; Venerandi L.; Brandi G.; Cucchetti A.; Bugianesi E.; Vanni E.; Mezzabotta L.; Cabibbo G.; Petta S.; Fracanzani A.; Fargion S.; Marra F.; Fani B.; Biasini E.; Sacco R.; Morisco F.; Caporaso N.; Colombo M.; D'ambrosio R.; Croce L.S.; Patti R.; Giannini E.G.; Loria P.; Lonardo A.; Baldelli E.; Miele L.; Farinati F.; Borzio M.; Dionigi E.; Soardo G.; Caturelli E.; Ciccarese F.; Virdone R.; Affronti A.; Foschi F.G.; Borzio F.Piscaglia, F.; Svegliati-Baroni, G.; Barchetti, A.; Pecorelli, A.; Marinelli, S.; Tiribelli, C.; Bellentani, S.; Bernardi, M.; Biselli, M.; Caraceni, P.; Domenicali, M.; Garuti, F.; Gramenzi, A.; Lenzi, B.; Magalotti, D.; Cescon, M.; Ravaioli, M.; Del Poggio, P.; Olmi, S.; Rapaccini, G. L.; Balsamo, C.; Di Nolfo, M. A.; Vavassori, E.; Alberti, A.; Benvegnau, L.; Gatta, A.; Giacomin, A.; Vanin, V.; Pozzan, C.; Maddalo, G.; Giampalma, E.; Cappelli, A.; Golfieri, R.; Mosconi, C.; Renzulli, M.; Roselli, P.; Dell'Isola, S.; Ialungo, A. M.; Risso, D.; Marenco, S.; Sammito, G.; Bruzzone, L.; Bosco, G.; Grieco, A.; Pompili, M.; Rinninella, E.; Siciliano, M.; Chiaramonte, M.; Guarino, M.; Camma, C.; Maida, M.; Costantino, A.; Barcellona, M. R.; Schiada, L.; Gemini, S.; Lanzi, A.; Stefanini, G. F.; Dall'Aglio, A. C.; Cappa, F. M.; Suzzi, A.; Mussetto, A.; Treossi, O.; Missale, G.; Porro, E.; Mismas, V.; Vivaldi, C.; Bolondi, L.; Zoli, M.; Granito, A.; Malagotti, D.; Tovoli, F.; Trevisani, F.; Venerandi, L.; Brandi, G.; Cucchetti, A.; Bugianesi, E.; Vanni, E.; Mezzabotta, L.; Cabibbo, G.; Petta, S.; Fracanzani, A.; Fargion, S.; Marra, F.; Fani, B.; Biasini, E.; Sacco, R.; Morisco, F.; Caporaso, N.; Colombo, M.; D'Ambrosio, R.; Croce, L. S.; Patti, R.; Giannini, E. G.; Loria, P.; Lonardo, A.; Baldelli, E.; Miele, L.; Farinati, F.; Borzio, M.; Dionigi, E.; Soardo, G.; Caturelli, E.; Ciccarese, F.; Virdone, R.; Affronti, A.; Foschi, F. G.; Borzio, F

Observation of Gravitational Waves from Two Neutron Star-Black Hole Coalescences

We report the observation of gravitational waves from two compact binary coalescences in LIGO's and Virgo's third observing run with properties consistent with neutron star-black hole (NSBH) binaries. The two events are named GW200105_162426 and GW200115_042309, abbreviated as GW200105 and GW200115; the first was observed by LIGO Livingston and Virgo, and the second by all three LIGO-Virgo detectors. The source of GW200105 has component masses $8.9^{+1.2}_{-1.5}\,M_\odot$ and $1.9^{+0.3}_{-0.2}\,M_\odot$, whereas the source of GW200115 has component masses $5.7^{+1.8}_{-2.1}\,M_\odot$ and $1.5^{+0.7}_{-0.3}\,M_\odot$ (all measurements quoted at the 90% credible level). The probability that the secondary's mass is below the maximal mass of a neutron star is 89%-96% and 87%-98%, respectively, for GW200105 and GW200115, with the ranges arising from different astrophysical assumptions. The source luminosity distances are $280^{+110}_{-110}$ Mpc and $300^{+150}_{-100}$ Mpc, respectively. The magnitude of the primary spin of GW200105 is less than 0.23 at the 90% credible level, and its orientation is unconstrained. For GW200115, the primary spin has a negative spin projection onto the orbital angular momentum at 88% probability. We are unable to constrain spin or tidal deformation of the secondary component for either event. We infer a NSBH merger rate density of $45^{+75}_{-33}\,\mathrm{Gpc}^{-3} \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ when assuming GW200105 and GW200115 are representative of the NSBH population, or $130^{+112}_{-69}\,\mathrm{Gpc}^{-3} \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$ under the assumption of a broader distribution of component masses

Search for gravitational waves associated with gamma-ray bursts detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO–Virgo run O3b

We search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites during the second half of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 November 1 15:00 UTC–2020 March 27 17:00 UTC). We conduct two independent searches: a generic gravitational-wave transients search to analyze 86 GRBs and an analysis to target binary mergers with at least one neutron star as short GRB progenitors for 17 events. We find no significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with any of these GRBs. A weighted binomial test of the combined results finds no evidence for subthreshold gravitational-wave signals associated with this GRB ensemble either. We use several source types and signal morphologies during the searches, resulting in lower bounds on the estimated distance to each GRB. Finally, we constrain the population of low-luminosity short GRBs using results from the first to the third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The resulting population is in accordance with the local binary neutron star merger rate