Helping others not always helps ourselves: the relationship between victim incivility and emergency workers’ burnout through work-to-family conflict.

Purpose – This study aims to analyse whether and when victim incivility may be related to work-to-family conflict and then burnout among emergency workers. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 304 Italian emergency workers from five firehouses and six emergency rooms completed questionnaires, examining: victim incivility, work-to-family conflict, social support seeking and burnout symptoms. Descriptive analyses, confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation models were conducted. Findings – Victim incivility was positively associated with burnout symptoms, both directly and indirectly, as mediated by work-to-family conflict. Additionally, social support seeking exacerbated (rather than mitigated) the impact of work-to-family conflict on burnout symptoms. Practical implications – Organisations can greatly benefit from implementing family-friendly practices and providing their workers with training programmes on how to deal with difficult victims. Originality/value – This study contributes to the existing literature on workplace incivility and work–life interface by supporting for the first time the notion that victim incivility can spill over into emergency workers’ family domain and by clarifying how and when victim incivility is related to burnout symptoms

A Fondazione Italiana Linfomi cohort study of R-COMP vs R-CHOP in older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

: Rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) is the most commonly used regimen for the upfront treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, it is associated with cardiotoxicity, especially in older patients. Substituting doxorubicin with non-PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (R-COMP) may reduce the risk of cardiac events, but its efficacy has never been demonstrated in prospective trials. We describe the characteristics and outcome of patients with DLBCL aged ≥65 years prospectively enrolled in the Elderly Project by the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi and treated with full doses of R-CHOP or R-COMP per local practice. Starting from 1163 patients, 383 (55%) were treated with R-CHOP and 308 (45%) with R-COMP. Patients treated with R-COMP were older (median age, 76 vs 71 years), less frequently fit at simplified geriatric assessment (61% vs 88%; P < .001), and had a more frequent baseline cardiac disorders (grade >1, 32% vs 8%; P < .001). Three-year progression-free survival (PFS) was similar between R-CHOP and R-COMP (70% and 64%); 3-year overall survival was 77%, and 71% respectively. R-CHOP was associated with better PFS vs R-COMP only in the Elderly Prognostic Index (EPI) low-risk group. The two groups had similar rates of treatment interruptions due to toxicities or of cardiac events (P = 1.00). We suggest R-COMP is a potentially curative treatment for older patients with intermediate- or high-risk EPI, even in the presence of a baseline cardiopathy. R-CHOP is confirmed as the standard therapy for low risk patients

Black holes, gravitational waves and fundamental physics: a roadmap

The grand challenges of contemporary fundamental physics—dark matter, dark energy, vacuum energy, inflation and early universe cosmology, singularities and the hierarchy problem—all involve gravity as a key component. And of all gravitational phenomena, black holes stand out in their elegant simplicity, while harbouring some of the most remarkable predictions of General Relativity: event horizons, singularities and ergoregions. The hitherto invisible landscape of the gravitational Universe is being unveiled before our eyes: the historical direct detection of gravitational waves by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration marks the dawn of a new era of scientific exploration. Gravitational-wave astronomy will allow us to test models of black hole formation, growth and evolution, as well as models of gravitational-wave generation and propagation. It will provide evidence for event horizons and ergoregions, test the theory of General Relativity itself, and may reveal the existence of new fundamental fields. The synthesis of these results has the potential to radically reshape our understanding of the cosmos and of the laws of Nature. The purpose of this work is to present a concise, yet comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the relevant fields of research, summarize important open problems, and lay out a roadmap for future progress. This write-up is an initiative taken within the framework of the European Action on 'Black holes, Gravitational waves and Fundamental Physics'

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

Investigating the relationship between resilience and work-family conflict among Italian workers: a mixed-method multi-sample research project.

The work-family interface has recently gathered impetus from researchers because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought changes in working modalities as well as in ways of living everyday life. Despite the recent enrichment of the literature on this topic, little is known about the potential protective role of resilience in relation to work-family conflict and its outcomes. Shedding light on this can provide suggestions on how to practically help workers. Therefore, the current dissertation aims to fill this gap. The dissertation briefly revises the state of the art on work-family interface issues and, through the lens of the Conservation of Resources theory, on resilience. Afterwards, considering the relevance of the topic in today’s working environment, the thesis provides a systematic review of the literature on the association between resilience and work-life interface facets. Next, in Study 1, work-family conflict is found to partially mediate the relationship between moral distress and burnout in a sample of 153 Italian healthcare workers. Additionally, resilience buffered this relationship, so that highly resilient professionals experienced lower work-family conflict than their less resilient colleagues, regardless of moral distress levels. Moreover, professionals who most often adopted positive refocusing tendencies were less vulnerable to burnout when faced with morally distressing situations than their counterparts. Thereafter, in Study 2, work-family conflict is found to partially mediate the association between patient verbal aggression and emotional exhaustion in a sample of 197 Italian healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, dehumanization tendencies and resilience moderated this relationship. More specifically, healthcare professionals were less likely to develop emotional exhaustion when they had high resilience levels and, at the same time, they rarely tended to ascribe patients non-uniquely human traits. Study 3 revealed a total mediation of work-family conflict in the link between workload and job satisfaction in a sample of 168 Italian air traffic controllers during pandemic times. In addition, resilience buffered this relationship in such a way that highly and moderately resilient air traffic controllers were less likely to experience job dissatisfaction under high workload conditions than their poorly resilient colleagues. Furthermore, the qualitative findings allowed a deeper understanding of the personal experiences of air traffic controllers with the different variables investigated (e.g., the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, protective resources, work-life interface, etc.). Finally, the buffering role of resilience in relation to work-family conflict has been detected also in Study 4. More specifically, this research conducted on a sample of 266 Italian workers during the COVID-19 outbreak showed that technostress was related to psycho-physical malaise and work-family conflict, both directly and indirectly through the mediation of the fear of COVID-19 and working excessively, respectively. Moreover, the loss of a loved one due to COVID-19 exacerbated the first relationship, while resilience buffered the second one. Said differently, in contrast to lowly or moderately resilient workers, those with high levels of resilience have not experienced work-family conflict even when they tended to work excessively. In conclusion, this dissertation contributed to the literature on the work-family link by demonstrating that work-family conflict is a mechanism through which job-related risk factors lead workers to develop a negative state of wellbeing and job dissatisfaction. Additionally, evidence of the protective role of resilience in relation to work-family conflict has been provided. Overall, the findings of this dissertation provided several suggestions for the adoption of useful practices in the work environment.Ingles

The Crucial Role of Green Soft Skills and Leadership for Sustainability: A Case Study of an Italian Small and Medium Enterprise Operating in the Food Sector

Increasing concerns about the human impact on the environment are leading to new challenges for companies and their employees. Specifically, the food industry is facing the need to provide sustainable services, requiring a specialized and skilled workforce. This article presents a case study of an Italian sustainable Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) operating in the food sector in order to determine the drivers of working for this company, the key skills needed, and the Green Human Resource Management practices adopted. A total of 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees and thematically analyzed. The findings showed that soft skills were perceived as more relevant than hard skills, although the food sector is characterized by high technical complexity and subjected to several national and international regulations. Moreover, the crucial role of organizational culture in determining the relevance of soft skills within the company and in fostering the implementation of the holacracy organizational management method emerged. Finally, by detecting the relevance recognized to values and soft skills during the recruitment and selection process, our findings provided some evidence of Green Human Resource Management in sustainable SMEs

Resilienza e ottimismo come importanti risorse personali dei professionisti sanitari coinvolti nella gestione della pandemia

L’emergenza sanitaria legata al COVID-19 rappresenta una potenziale minaccia per il benessere e il funzionamento lavorativo dei professionisti sanitari. Pertanto, è importante individuare le risorse personali in grado di sostenere la salute psico-fisica e la soddisfazione lavorativa dei professionisti sanitari durante il periodo pandemico. In accordo con la teoria della Conservazione delle Risorse, il presente studio si propone di comprendere in quale modo la capacità di cogliere aspetti positivi derivanti dall’emergenza possa associarsi a soddisfazione lavorativa e salute psico-fisica, ipotizzando che una visione ottimistica della situazione pandemica possa mediare tale relazione. 184 professionisti sanitari impiegati in un ospedale del Nord Italia (tra i primi ad essere coinvolti nella gestione pandemica) hanno partecipato alla ricerca compilando un questionario self-report anonimo volto alla misurazione di: resilienza e ottimismo (Capitale Psicologico), salute psico-fisica (General Health Questionnaire-12), soddisfazione lavorativa (un item) e alcuni aspetti legati all’esposizione diretta e vicaria al COVID-19 (check-list ad hoc). Sono state condotte analisi descrittive, confronti tra i gruppi e analisi di mediazione I risultati mostrano come persone più resilienti tendano acogliere maggiormente gli aspetti positivi legati all’emergenza. Ciò consente loro di essere ottimisti e, pertanto, di provare maggiore soddisfazione professionale e minori sintomi psicosomatici. Questo studio evidenzia come resilienza e ottimismo rappresentino importanti risorse personali in grado di favorire il funzionamento psicologico e lavorativo dei professionisti sanitari impegnati nella gestione della pandemia. Ciò, a sua volta, suggerisce come le aziende sociosanitarie possano beneficiare dall’implementazione di programmi formativi volti a rafforzare tali risorse, quali training di resilienza psicologica

Resilienza e ottimismo come importanti risorse personali dei professionisti sanitari coinvolti nella gestione della pandemia

L’emergenza sanitaria legata al COVID-19 rappresenta una potenziale minaccia per il benessere e il funzionamento lavorativo dei professionisti sanitari. Pertanto, è importante individuare le risorse personali in grado di sostenere la salute psico-fisica e la soddisfazione lavorativa dei professionisti sanitari durante il periodo pandemico. In accordo con la teoria della Conservazione delle Risorse, il presente studio si propone di comprendere in quale modo la capacità di cogliere aspetti positivi derivanti dall’emergenza possa associarsi a soddisfazione lavorativa e salute psico-fisica, ipotizzando che una visione ottimistica della situazione pandemica possa mediare tale relazione. 184 professionisti sanitari impiegati in un ospedale del Nord Italia (tra i primi ad essere coinvolti nella gestione pandemica) hanno partecipato alla ricerca compilando un questionario self-report anonimo volto alla misurazione di: resilienza e ottimismo (Capitale Psicologico), salute psico-fisica (General Health Questionnaire-12), soddisfazione lavorativa (un item) e alcuni aspetti legati all’esposizione diretta e vicaria al COVID-19 (check-list ad hoc). Sono state condotte analisi descrittive, confronti tra i gruppi e analisi di mediazione I risultati mostrano come persone più resilienti tendano acogliere maggiormente gli aspetti positivi legati all’emergenza. Ciò consente loro di essere ottimisti e, pertanto, di provare maggiore soddisfazione professionale e minori sintomi psicosomatici. Questo studio evidenzia come resilienza e ottimismo rappresentino importanti risorse personali in grado di favorire il funzionamento psicologico e lavorativo dei professionisti sanitari impegnati nella gestione della pandemia. Ciò, a sua volta, suggerisce come le aziende sociosanitarie possano beneficiare dall’implementazione di programmi formativi volti a rafforzare tali risorse, quali training di resilienza psicologica