Italian healthcare workers' views on mandatory vaccination

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mandatory vaccination has contributed to the success of immunisation programmes but voluntary vaccination allows people to be responsible for their own health. There are benefits from both policies and the arguments between them remain subject to debate within and without the scientific community, both nationally and internationally. The aim of this study is to assess the opinions of those who actually work in the Vaccination Service.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The survey was carried out using a self-administered standardised anonymous questionnaire given to all of the Vaccination Service employees in the Apulia Region.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 302 completed questionnaire replies, 4.4% stated that mandatory vaccination should be abandoned now, 21.2% that it should be phased out, and 74.4% that it should be retained.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An educational program should be set up to explain to Vaccination staff the value and worth of voluntary compared to mandatory vaccination and why high vaccination rates do not have to depend on compulsion.</p

Workplace Sitting Breaks Questionnaire (SITBRQ): An assessment of concurrent validity and test-retest reliability

Breaks in prolonged sitting may have beneficial cardiometabolic and musculoskeletal health outcomes. Desk-based work settings are an important environment to promote and support breaks in sitting time. However, few studies have reported the psychometric properties of self-report measures to assess the frequency and duration of breaks from sitting. This study examined the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of the Workplace Sitting Breaks Questionnaire (SITBRQ) designed to assess frequency and duration of breaks in sitting within desk-based work settings

Are there new ways to improve the asphalt mixtures' surface functions? For sure! By functionalization process

Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) semiconductor material and Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) have been applied in the form of nano/microparticles over asphalt road pavements to provide them with new surface functionalities. This is a FUNCTIONALIZATION process that aims to improve the sustainable characteristics of the asphalt mixtures through the photocatalytic, superhydrophobic, and self-cleaning capabilities, which are related to the degradation of hazardous pollutants from the atmosphere (NOx, SO2, among others) for environmental remediation and the cleaning of the road surface (dust, greases, and oils) for the mitigation of the decrease of friction. Thus, in this research work, dispersions containing TiO2 nanoparticles and PTFE microparticles were sprayed over an AC 10 asphalt mixture to coat and functionalize it. To confirm the photocatalysis, super hydrophobicity, and self-cleaning capacities, this smart material performance was evaluated under the degradation of the organic compound Rhodamine B (RhB) as a pollutant model and Water Contact Angle (WCA). The results indicate the photodegradation of the pollutant, confirming the proper functioning of the functionalization process, and a WCA of 150°, proving that the nanoparticles were well dispersed just over the surface of the asphalt mixture. In general, this multidisciplinary research contributes to social and environmental enhancement and enlarges the opportunities for applications of nanomaterials in a very large-scale field such as Civil Engineering. Moreover, it showed that the surface characteristics of the asphalt pavements could be studied and improved not only with a conventional approach based on noise, friction, texture, and rolling resistance measurements but also through a physicochemical approach, as the functionalization processes, using knowledge of Materials Science

Mutirões de trabalho em agroflorestas agroecológicas: variações e padrões nas atividades e práticas.

Uma das maneiras na qual os agricultores praticantes de agroflorestas agroecológicas utilizam para fortificar os laços entre a comunidade é o mutirão. O objetivo desse trabalho é caracterização dos mutirões do Grupo de Produtores Agroflorestais Gralha Azul, de Morretes - PR. Para tanto sistematizou - se, com auxílio de formulário específico, a informação de dezesseis eventos de mutirões nas áreas da s agricultores do Gralha Azul observados entre setembro de 2012 a fevereiro de 2013. As atividades realizadas foram: preparo de canteiro (1 2 dos 16 mutirões) e plantio de primavera (4 ). Dois tipos de preparo de canteiro foram observados: mecanizado e não mecanizado. No mecanizado, com enxada rotativa, em média 6,8 agricultores trabalharam 5,85 horas fazendo 121,8 m² de canteiros com largura fixa de 1,20m. Já no não mecanizado, a média por mutirão foi de 6,25 agricultores trabalhando 6,06 horas e fizeram 65 ,3m² de canteiro, com a largura do canteiro variando de 0,3 a 1,20, com média de 0,56 m. Em média nas atividades de plantio de frutíferas 6 agricultores trabalharam 3,72 horas. A preferência pelo preparo de canteiros e do plantio nos mutirões é reflexo ta nto do aproveito de mão de obra para os trabalhos mais árduos quanto pelo fato que a agrofloresta é uma atividade recente e em expansão na região. A s práticas observadas seguem fundamentos agroecológicos e são fortemente influenciados por recomendações em píricas e científicas

Stand dynamics modulate water cycling and mortality risk in droughted tropical forest

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Transpiration from the Amazon rainforest generates an essential water source at a global and local scale. However, changes in rainforest function with climate change can disrupt this process, causing significant reductions in precipitation across Amazonia, and potentially at a global scale. We report the only study of forest transpiration following a long-term (>10 year) experimental drought treatment in Amazonian forest. After 15 years of receiving half the normal rainfall, drought-related tree mortality caused total forest transpiration to decrease by 30%. However, the surviving droughted trees maintained or increased transpiration because of reduced competition for water and increased light availability, which is consistent with increased growth rates. Consequently, the amount of water supplied as rainfall reaching the soil and directly recycled as transpiration increased to 100%. This value was 25% greater than for adjacent nondroughted forest. If these drought conditions were accompanied by a modest increase in temperature (e.g., 1.5°C), water demand would exceed supply, making the forest more prone to increased tree mortality.This work is a product of UK NERC grant NE/J011002/1 to PM and MM, CNPQ grant 457914/2013-0/MCTI/CNPq/FNDCT/LBA/ESECAFLOR to ACLD, an ARC grant FT110100457 to PM and a UK NERC independent fellowship grant NE/N014022/1 to LR. It was previously supported by NERC NER/A/S/2002/00487, NERC GR3/11706, EU FP5-Carbonsink and EU FP7-Amazalert to PM. RP acknowledges support of MINECO (Spain), grant CGL2014-5583-JIN

Photocatalytic performance of textiles coated with titanium dioxide-reduced graphene oxide system for degradation of crude petroleum under similar solar irradiation

The pollution caused by oil and its toxic derivatives presents a considerable risk to the public health and the environment. This work is devoted to the study of the influence of TiO2 nanoparticles immobilized on three types of textiles materials (Cotton, Entretela, and Polylactic Acid-PLA) coated with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to be used for degradation of crude petroleum under simulated solar irradiation. The morphological studies of the functionalized textiles substrates were performed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, which indicated an excellent dispersion and adhesion of nanoparticles of about 60% (atomic %Ti) on the textile fibers covered with RGO after washing. Ultraviolet-visible Diffuse Reflectance spectra suggest a reduction in the band gap energy of TiO2 up to 2.86 eV due to the presence of RGO. The functionalized textiles presented at least 60% of photocatalytic efficiency measured by Rhodamine B degradation, decreasing less than 12% after the rigorous washing. The excitation/emission Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Fourier-transform Infrared spectroscopies demonstrated a great potential for photocatalytic degradation of the functionalized textiles substrates as the appearance of the hydroxyl, carboxyl, and the C-O bands confirm the photoinduced oxidation of the organic compounds implying with high prospects in petroleum and wastewater treatment areas. Moreover, this environmentally friendly, sustainable, and inclusive research work can be included in clean technologies, contributing to the novel socio-economic model recognized as "Green Recovery".[GRAPHICS].This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2019 and the project PTDC/FIS-MAC/6606/2020. Also, the third author would like to acknowledge the FCT for the Ph.D. scholarship (SFRH/BD/137421/2018). Moreover, the authors would like to acknowledge Sociedade Nacional de Combusti ' veis de Angola (Sonangol), which partially provided the crude oil samples

Anaphylactic response to topical fluorescein 2% eye drops: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The intravenous use of fluorescein 10% during retinal angiography can cause severe systemic reactions including, on rare occasions, anaphylaxis. Fluorescein 2% eye drops are used extensively for clinical examination and diagnosis, but to the best of our knowledge, they have only been reported as being responsible for a systemic anaphylactic response on two previous occasions.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 51-year-old woman who developed an anaphylactic reaction when she was administered fluorescein sodium 2% eye drops after cataract surgery. This was the second time she had been exposed to fluorescein. She had brittle asthma and a history of anaphylaxis following exposure to a variety of drug and food allergens. She was successfully resuscitated and recovered completely over a period of two days.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Fluorescein 2% drops are universally used in general practice, ophthalmology, optometry, and casualty departments. Our case report reveals the potential for this benign eye drop to cause a life-threatening systemic reaction and emphasises the importance of considering this consequence when administering topical fluorescein 2% to a patient with a history of anaphylaxis to other allergens.</p

Individual freedom versus collective responsibility: too many rights make a wrong?

Individuals might reasonably expect the freedom to make their own decisions regarding their health. However, what happens when an individual's wishes conflict with what is in that individual's best interests? How far should an individual's rights be restricted for his or her own benefit? Similarly, what limitations should be placed on an individual's behaviour when that person's wishes go against what is good for the population in general? Here we discuss the issues that can arise when the rights of individuals conflict with individual and population benefits in relation to infectious diseases

Feiras livres como alternativa de comercialização de produtos da agrofloresta.

Com a busca por alternativas comerciais socialmente justas como maneira de otimizar a comercialização de produtos provenientes de agricultura familiar, destaca se a venda direta através de feiras, livres, que permite acesso direto ao consumidor sem necessidade de intermediadores. O Grupo de Produtores Agroflorestais Gralha Azul, de Morretes-PR, iniciou plantios de agroflorestas agroecológicas em 2009, sendo formado, atualmente, por 12 famílias de agricultores. Há um ano, o Gralha Azul iniciou sua participação na Matinfeira, feira semanal de produtos da agricultura familiar em Matinhos, PR. Com o objetivo de caracterização dos produtos, produtores e do processo de comercialização, foram acompanhados e sistematizados em planilha a comercialização destes produtos em 22 feiras semanais, entre maio e dezembro de 2012. Onze produtores participaram da Matinfeira, comercializando entre 13 e 29 variedades de alimentos, e proporcionando uma renda que variou de R$101,00 a R$ 386,50, por semana. Mensalmente, as feiras permitiram uma receita bruta de R$ 141,17 por produtor familiar agroflorestal. Apesar desse baixo valor, há que se considerar que o mesmo reflete os primeiros seis meses de atuação do Grupo no processo de comercialização na feira (Matinfeira). A venda direta através desta feira livre mostra potencial como alternativa comercial socialmente justa para os produtores em transição agroecológica do Grupo Gralha Azul