Analyzing the monitoring results of noise hazards in workplace of key industries in Guangdong Province in 2019 / 中国职业医学

Objective: To analyze the status of noise hazard in workplace of key industries in Guangdong Province. Methods: A total of 1 061 enterprises from 14 key industries in 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province were selected as the research subjects using stratified sampling method. The occupational health survey was carried out, and the noise intensity in the workplace was detected. Results: There were 12 606 workplaces and 5 570 work sites involved among 1 061 enterprises. The median and the 0-100th percentile value ［M (P0-P100)］ of noise intensity in workplace were 82.6 (46.5-112.6) dB(A), and 35.03% of the workplace exceeded the national noise intensity standard. The regions and industry with the highest rate of noise exceeded the national noise intensity standard in workplace were in the northern part of Guangdong and the stone processing industry respectively. The M (P0-P100) of noise intensity in the work sites was 83.7 (47.5-106.2) dB(A), and 36.00% of the work sites exceeded the national noise intensity standard. The regions and industry with the highest rate of noise exceeded the national noise intensity standard in work sites were in the Pearl River Delta region and the ferrous metal mining and dressing industry respectively. The rate of noise protection facilities setting was 66.45%, and the validity of personal protection was 61.73%. The occupational medical examination was performed in 73.24% of the research subjects, and 3.25% of the result was abnormal. The industry with the highest occupational medical examination rate was nonferrous metal smelting and rolling processing, and the industry with the highest abnormal rate of occupational medical examination was stone processing industry. Conclusion: Noise hazards in workplaces of key industries in Guangdong Province are relatively severe, necessitating strengthened supervision and management, noise control measures, and efforts to reduce noise exposure levels in workplaces and work sites.

Acceptance and effectiveness of the Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) among food industries in Malaysia

@#Introduction: The Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) was introduced in 2017 by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. This paper analysed acceptance of HCL, effectiveness of HCL in encouraging healthier product reformulation, and factors affecting reformulation among food industries. Methods: An online self-administered questionnaire consisting of four sections utilising multiple choice and 5-point Likert scale questions was distributed to food industries in Malaysia. Sample size calculation yielded 100 respondents. Results: Food industries had a higher acceptance of the processes and requirements involved in HCL implementation. HCL was highly effective in encouraging product reformulation among food industries in Malaysia. Meeting consumer demand, improving brand image, public health, more awareness around nutrition labelling, logo and national nutrition target, more technical knowledge and budget were found to motivate healthier product reformulation. However, product suitability, consumer acceptability, difficulties maintaining taste and shelf life, and limited budget were the challenges faced in product reformulation. There was no correlation between HCL acceptance and factors encouraging or inhibiting reformulation. Conclusion: These findings are expected to help relevant authorities or stakeholders make changes, if necessary, towards processes and requirements involved in HCL application to ensure wider HCL implementation. Future research should identify the relationship between HCL implementation and public health improvement among the Malaysian population.

Analyzing the occupational health literacy and its influencing factors among occupational populations in Guizhou Province, 2022 / 中国职业医学

Objective To analyze the awareness of occupational health literacy (OHL) and its influencing factors among occupational population in key industries of Guizhou Province in 2022. Methods A total of 11 153 workers from eight key industries in 88 counties and districts of Guizhou Province was selected as the research subjects in 2022 using a stratified cluster sampling method. The OHL levels were surveyed using the Occupational Health Literacy Questionnaire of National Key Populations. Results The overall OHL level of the research subjects in 2022 was 57.7%. The OHL levels of basic knowledge of occupational health protection, healthy lifestyle and behavior, legal knowledge of occupational health, and basic skills of occupational health protection were 79.6%, 69.7%, 60.0%, and 42.0%, respectively. The overall OHL level of the tertiary industry population was higher than that of the secondary industry (59.8% vs 54.9%, P<0.01). The overall OHL levels of occupational population in the eight key industries from high to low were medical and health, electric heating water supply, environmental health, transportation, non-metallic mineral products, express delivery/take-out,education and coal mining, with the overall OHL level of 82.5%, 64.2%, 64.0%, 55.9%, 52.8%, 48.8%, 46.1% and 44.7%, respectively (P<0.01). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, personal monthly income, length of employment, and industry category were independent influencing factors of OHL levels (all P<0.05). The OHL level of females was higher than that of males (P<0.01). The older age, higher educational level, and higher personal monthly income were associated with higher OHL levels in workers (all P<0.01). The OHL level of Han population was higher than that of Miao and other ethnic groups (all P<0.01). The OHL level of unmarried population was higher than that of married and widowed/divorced population (all P<0.01). The OHL level of workers with less than 3.0 years of employment was lower than that of workers with 3.0 - < 6.0 and 6.0 - < 10.0 years of employment (all P<0.01). The OHL level of workers in the tertiary industry was higher than that in the secondary industry (P<0.01). Conclusion The OHL level of occupational population in Guizhou Province needs to be further improved. Special attention should be paid to the industry of coal mining and selection, education, express delivery/take-out, and occupational population in ethnic minority areas, low educated, low-income, and newly employed occupational population.

Occupational health literacy level and its influencing factors among key populations in China in 2022 / 中国职业医学

Objective To analyze the level of occupational health literacy (OHL) and its influencing factors among key populations in China. Methods The front-line workers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China were selected as the research subjects using a combination of stratified cluster random sampling and probability proportional sampling. The Occupational Health Literacy Questionnaire of National Key Populations was used to investigate the OHL level. Results In 2022, a total of 340 506 people from 23 industries were surveyed. Among them, 168 455 and 172 051 people were surveyed in the secondary and tertiary industries, respectively. The OHL level of the research subjects was 52.6%. The OHL levels of workers in the secondary and tertiary industries were 56.5% and 48.9%, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, marital status, educational level, household registration, monthly income, employment nature, years of service and industry category were independent influencing factors for OHL level of the research subjects (all P<0.01). Specifically, females had a higher OHL level than males (P<0.01); the older the age, the higher the education level, the higher the monthly income level, the higher the OHL level (all P<0.01); the level of OHL in unmarried people was higher than that in married people (P<0.01); the OHL level of workers with non-agricultural household registration was higher than that of workers with agricultural household registration (P<0.01); the OHL levels of workers in state-owned enterprises, foreign-funded enterprises and public institutions were higher than those in private enterprises (all P<0.01); the level of OHL in the group with 21.0-43.0 years of service was lower than that in the other years of service groups (all P<0.01); the OHL level of workers in the secondary industry was higher than that in the tertiary industry (P<0.01). Conclusion The workers in the key industries selected by the tertiary industry, the private enterprises in the secondary industry, those with more than 21.0 years of service, and the disadvantaged groups with younger age low income, low education level, and the agricultural household registration are the key groups for the improvement of OHL level in the future. Appropriate intervention methods and strategies should be actively explored to improve the OHL of these key populations.

Bioethics and sociology: the place of social studies of science and technology / Bioética e sociologia: o lugar dos estudos sociais da ciência e tecnologia / Bioética y sociología: el lugar de los estudios sociales de la ciencia y tecnología

The social sciences have integrated the analytical and normative practices of bioethics. However, with some exceptions, the proposals have been epistemically limited to the methodological scope and strictly directed to biomedical care practices. Taking some data on the strategies of production of new drugs by the pharmaceutical industry, this essay intends to demonstrate the possible contributions of the social studies of science and technology to a theoretical-methodological foundation of bioethical analyzes around global health issues, such as the production and distribution of technologies. We conclude that at least three types of analyzes would benefit from this proximity: analyzes of the epistemological integrity of the health sciences; ethical-political analyzes around the access and security of new and old health technologies; and ethical-philosophical analyzes of harmful attitudes of the scientific community and health professionals in relation to health care.(AU)

As ciências sociais têm integrado as práticas analíticas e normativas da bioética. No entanto, com algumas exceções, as propostas têm sido epistemicamente limitadas ao âmbito metodológico e estritamente direcionadas às práticas de cuidado biomédico. Tomando alguns dados sobre as estratégias de produção de novos medicamentos pela indústria farmacêutica, este ensaio pretende demonstrar as possíveis contribuições dos estudos sociais da ciência e tecnologia para uma fundamentação teórico-metodológica das análises bioéticas em torno de questões globais em saúde, tais como a produção e distribuição de tecnologias. Concluímos que pelo menos três tipos de análises se beneficiariam dessa proximidade: análises da integridade epistemológica das ciências da saúde; análises ético-políticas em torno do acesso e segurança de novas e antigas tecnologias em saúde; e análises ético-filosóficas de posturas nocivas da comunidade científica e dos profissionais de saúde em relação à assistência à saúde.(AU)

Las ciencias integran las prácticas analíticas y normativas de la bioética. Sin embargo, con algunas excepciones, las propuestas han sido epistémicamente limitadas al ámbito metodológico y rigurosamente dirigidas a las prácticas del cuidado biomédico. Tomando algunos datos sobre las estrategias de producción de nuevos medicamentos por la industria farmacéutica, este ensayo pretende demostrar las posibles contribuciones de los estudios sociales de la ciencia y la tecnología para una fundamentación teórico-metodológica de los análisis bioéticos sobre de cuestiones globales de salud, tales como la producción y distribución de tecnologías. Concluimos que al menos tres tipos de análisis se beneficiarían de esa proximidad: análisis de la integridad epistemológica de las ciencias de la salud, análisis ético-políticos sobre el acceso y la seguridad de nuevas y antiguas tecnologías de salud y análisis ético-filosóficos de posturas nocivas de la comunidad científica y de los profesionales de salud con relación a la asistencia de la salud.(AU)

INVESTIGATING BARRIERS IN ADOPTION OF MASS CUSTOMIZATION IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SECTOR IN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Mass customization (MC) offers tailor-made services to customers and necessary for industries in current global competition. However, implementation of MC is at nascent stage particularly in consumer electronics. This study investigates barriers in adoption of MC in context with developing economies such as India. There are quite a few barriers which may affect implementation of MC. Through literature survey and experts' opinion 15 barriers has been identi?ed. DEMATEL method was used to ?nd cause-effect relationship between these barriers. Also most signi?cant barriers has been identi?ed as Lack of ?nancial support, Lack of awareness of use of Information Technology in MC, Not availability of machines supporting MC, Lack of support from top management, and Lack of trained & skilled manpower. This study guides policy maker and managers in understanding the challenges in implementation of MC in emerging economies.

O trabalho criativo em carreiras sem fronteiras: o caso da Boundary VFX / Creative work in careers without borders: The Boundary VFX case / El trabajo creativo en carreras sin fronteras: el caso de Boundary VFX

O estudo discute a respeito do entendimento acerca de novos formatos de trabalho que emergem na sociedade pós-industrial, tendo a criatividade e a inovação como forças motrizes da economia contemporânea. O objetivo foi evidenciar o entendimento acerca de novos formatos de trabalho que emergem na sociedade pós-industrial, evidenciados na forma de carreiras sem fronteiras. Investigou-se uma empresa que opera com efeitos visuais (VFX) e presta serviços para produções cinematográficas ao redor do mundo. Foram utilizados dados secundários oriundos de redes sociais, portais na internet, artigos de imprensa e fóruns e dados primários, obtidos por meio de entrevista não estruturada. A análise revela que a fragmentação da força de trabalho na indústria criativa possibilita sua divisão por redes telemáticas, extrapolando as condições limitantes das fronteiras físicas.

The study discusses the understanding of new forms of work that emerge in post-industrial society, with creativity and innovation as driving forces of the contemporary economy. The objective of the study isto show the understanding about new work paths which emerge in post-industrial society, evidenced in the form of the boundaryless career. This case study investigates a company that operates with visual effects (VFX) and provides cinematographic productions services around the world. The study used secondary data from social networks, internet portals, press articles, forums, and primary data obtained through unstructured interviews. The analysis reveals that the fragmentation of the workforce in the creative industry allows its division by telematic networks, overcoming limiting conditions of physical borders.

El estudio discute sobre el entendimiento de nuevas formas de trabajo que surgen en la sociedad postindustrial, teniendo la creatividad y la innovación como fuerzas motrices de la economía contemporánea. El objetivo fue comprender las nuevas formas de trabajo que surgen en la sociedad postindustrial, evidenciada en forma de carrera sin fronteras. Se investigó una empresa que opera con efectos visuales (VFX) y presta servicios para producciones cinematográficas alrededor del mundo. Fueron utilizados datos secundarios provenientes de redes sociales, portales en Internet, artículos de prensa, foros y datos primarios, obtenidos por medio de entrevista no estructurada. El análisis revela que la fragmentación de la fuerza de trabajo en la industria creativa posibilita su división por redes telemáticas, extrapolando las condiciones limitantes de las fronteras físicas.

Overviewing the Application of ß-Galactosidase "Immobilized on Nanoparticles" in Dairy Industries

Abstract Owing to the excellent catalytic potential, β-galactosidase (EC: 3.2.1.23) has been exploited as an important industrial enzyme for obtaining galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and lactose-free products in dairy industries. Moreover, novel technologies have been implemented in the recent past for preparing and modifying nanoparticles (NPs) for immobilizing therapeutically and industrially important enzymes. Nanoparticles based enzyme immobilization (NBEI) offered more stability and robustness to the enzymes due to their fixed conformation and hence extend their applications in broader areas. A quick overview of the results exhibited greater activity for the enzymes immobilized on NPs as compared to enzyme immobilized on 2-D matrices. Based on these findings, this review was aimed to emphasize the recent development achieved for immobilizing β-galactosidase on NPs with their specific utilization in obtaining dairy products. These studies includes β-galactosidases from various sources that were immobilized on various NPs for hydrolyzing lactose in batch and continuous reactors, and for the production of GOS in biotechnology industries. NBEI of β-galactosidase offered profound stability for transporting substrate and product for enzymatic reactions, apart from cost effective advantage due to reusable nature of immobilized enzyme.

Occupational Health: A Special Reference to Lung Disease in Petrochemical, Metal and Building Material Industrial Workers in Melur Taluk Madurai District

Introduction: Occupational health refers to the identificationand control of the risks arising from physical, chemical, andother work place hazards in order to establish and maintaina safe and healthy working environment. Occupationalrespiratory disease is any lung condition humans get atwork. Certain work places lend themselves to disease. Themost common are coalmines and factories or areas with highamounts of toxic. Melur taluk located in the north easternpart of Madurai district was chosen as the study area. Thestudy particularly attempted to determine whether individualsworking in the metal and building material industries are athigher risks of air-related health effects as compared to thosein other industries.Material and Methods: The two important techniques usedin the present study are statistical techniques and cartographicinterpretation. It includes mapping of the study area usingthe GIS soft ware. For the primary data, the design involved,comprising a sample of 150 workers (study participants) fromthe metal, non-metal industries and Petrochemical Industrialworkers. The factor analysis a well known techniques wasused in the present study to analyze the occupational health inthe work environment in Melur taluk.Results: Lack of using protective measures leads to respiratorydisease infection, Smoking habits worsen the health ofworkers. Workers who are working for a long duration (morethan 8 hours) without any protective measures diagnoserespiratory infection and most of this infected workers are inthe age group of above 40.Conclusion: The types of industry determine respiratoryinfection. Workers in metal and building material industrieshighly infected by respiratory infection than petrochemicalindustry. Educated people have knowledge about respiratoryinfection they use protective measures and they do not haveany respiratory infection and most of them are working inmanagement department.

Organic and Inorganic Mercury in Biological Samples of Flouresecent Lamp Industries Workers and Health Risks / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The present study aims to investigate the concentrations of Hg and its aspects methyl mercury (Me-Hg) and inorganic mercury (I-Hg) in the biological samples (BSs) of fluorescent lamp industries workers (FLIWs).@*Methodology@#Different BSs including red blood cells (RBCs), plasma, urine, hair and nails were collected from the workers exposed to Hg and unexposed persons were selected as control group to measure both the T-Hg concentration as well as its species in different biological samples through quantitative analysis. Health data was collected through questionnaire survey.@*Results@#The mean concentrations of T-Hg (31.9 µg/L), Me-Hg (27.7 µg/L), and I-Hg (5.36 µg/L) in RBCs were found significantly ( < 0.001) higher among the workers ( = 40) as compared to the control group ( = 40). Similarly the mean Hg concentrations in plasma, urine, hair and nails were also significantly higher among the workers than the control group. The statistical relation between Hg concentration and demographic characteristics observed that workers experience and fish consumption has increased the Hg concentration while age, weight and smoking found no significant effect on Hg concentration in the BSs.@*Conclusion@#The study observed that the workers were highly exposed to high concentration of Hg and they are at a high health risk.

Health Risk Assessment of Chromium, Manganese and Arsenic through the Consumption of Food from Industrial Areas in South Eastern States of Nigeria

Aim: This study investigated the health risk associated with chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn) and arsenic (As) through consumption of some food crops in selected industrialized areas located in the south eastern states of Nigeria using the estimated daily intake(EDI), bioaccumulation factor(BCF), target hazard quotient(THQ) and incremental lifetime cancer risk(ILCR). Study Design: Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to assess the concentrations of Cr, Mn and As in the different food crops and soils at the industrialized areas. Place and Duration: Samples were collected around industrial layouts in south east states of Nigeria. Duration was between February 2018 to September 2018. Methodology: Twelve (12) different food crops which included 3 each of vegetables, tubers fruits and nuts and their rhizophere soils were collected from farmlands close to the industries at Osisioma, Akwuuru, Ishiagu, Ngwo, Irete while Umudike was the control site for this study. Results: Mean concentrations of Cr and Mn ranged from 0.01 ± 0.01c to 26.32 ± 0.02 dmg/kg and 0.01 ± 0.00 to 5.53 ± 0.00 mg/kg while As which was Below Detection Limit (< 0.01) mg/kg. 60 and 11 0ut of 72 samples exceeded the WHO permissible limits of 0.2 and 2 mg/kg for Cr and Mn respectively. The BAF of >1 was recorded in 26 Samples out of 108 with its highest values in Pumpkin and Waterleaf suggesting it could be tried as bioindicators .THQ > 1 was recorded in all samples for different locations except for Star apple and Kolanut. ILCR values for Cr in all the samples ranged 10-2 to 10-5 exceeding the permissible range of 10-4 to 10-6. Conclusion: The exposed population has the probability of contracting cancer and other ailments due to exposure to the heavy metals in this study. Therefore, this study suggests further consideration of the metals as chemicals of concern with respect to industrial locations in South Eastern, Nigeria.

Ócio jovem e o consumo de videoclipes pop ­ um estudo exploratório / Young leisure and the consumption of pop music videos - an exploratory research

A música, especialmente a que é cantada, é companheira diária das populações ocidentais, muito particularmente dos jovens. Como tal, a produção musical é fortemente cobiçada pelas indústrias criativas, nomeadamente as discográficas que, explorando-a, procuram sempre novas potencialidades e novos mercados. Por exemplo, a imagem tornou-se constituinte praticamente indissociável da canção, fomentando, consequentemente, um produto mais vendável, através de internet, e de acesso fácil a qualquer jovem em qualquer lugar. O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar o impacto, nos jovens, de videoclipes de música pop, que lhe são especialmente dirigidos. Neste estudo escolhemos analisar um dos mais populares desses videoclipes, procurando compreender quais os sentidos, quer da música, quer do respetivo videoclipe, procurando aprofundar os modos, como estes condicionam a vivência do tempo de ócio dos adolescentes. Assim, a questão nuclear aqui colocada relaciona-se com os sentidos e respetiva descodificação que esta mais recente extensão da música (os videoclipes) poderão ter nos jovens. A principal questão que colocamos é a seguinte: Será que a dimensão visual da música, e a sua omnipresença, influi na qualidade da experiência de momentos de ócio por parte dos jovens? A presente investigação aborda esta questão a partir dos Estudos Culturais, entendidos estes como uma área interdisciplinar que nos permite articular temáticas das Indústrias Culturais e Criativas, a área dos estudos de ócio e o modelo de comunicação de Stuart Hall1 , enconding and decoding, para proceder à análise do material empírico que produzimos a propósito da visualização de um videoclipe por um grupo de jovens. O estudo que aqui apresentamos é exploratório e integra-se numa investigação mais vasta que deverá conduzir a uma dissertação de doutoramento...(AU)

A song, especially that which is sung, is a daily companion of the western people, very particular of the young. As such, musical production is strongly coveted by the Creative Industries, especially the record companies which, by exploring it, always look for new potentialities and new markets. For example, image became a composite virtually inseparable from the song, thus fostering a more salable product, via the internet, with easy access to any young person anywhere. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the influence in the young, of pop music video clips, to whom they are specially directed. In this study we chose to analyze one of the most popular video clips, looking to understand them, specifically the part of their music and of the respective images on the videoclip, and to profoundly appreciate how these conditionate the ways teenagers enjoy their leisure time. Thus, a core issue here is related to the ways, and their decoding, that these latest extensions of music (the video clips) can have on the young people. The main question that arises is: what kind of influences visual music, and its omnipresence, imposes in the quality of leisure moments experience by the young? The present research approaches this subject from a point of view of the Cultural Studies, understood as an area of interdisciplinarity that allows us to articulate thematics from the Cultural and the Creative Industries, the areas of leisure studies and the model of communication by Stuart Hall1 , "enconding and decoding", to proceed to the empirical material analysis that was produced from the visualization of a video clip by a group of young people. The study presented here is exploratory and integrates a larger area of scientific investigation leading to a doctoral thesis...(AU)

Energy Efficiency in the Food Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract Governments and private companies have increased efforts to identify effective actions for improving energy efficiency in manufacturing processes. The objective of this work is to improve the decision-making process by increasing the quality of information related to energy indicators in the food industry. This research involves developing a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify energy efficiency indicators in the food industry, which serve as inputs for a sectoral evaluation based on multicriteria techniques. The SLR identified six criteria evaluated by food industry experts, which form the proposed basis for evaluating the performance of related sectors. These criteria are: benchmarks, key performance indicators, framework, monitoring, ISO 50001, and information communication technologies (ICTs) in sectoral evaluations. The criteria were evaluated by experts using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which prioritizes the most important food industry issues using an evaluation scale. Weights were attributed to each issue and positioned according to the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) to evaluate each sector by the identified criteria. The evaluated criteria are applicable to the three sectors surveyed, with emphasis on the beverage sector. Among the evaluated criteria, ICTs were highlighted by Industry 4.0 as a concern for the food sector.

Energy Management in Energy-Intensive Industries: Developing a Conceptual Map

Abstract This paper presents the development of a conceptual map regarding energy management applied to industry. The energy issue is currently of great relevance, especially for the so-called energy-intensive industries related to high energy consumption and their associated environmental impacts. The present research is characterized as a basic, exploratory approach justified by the need to build knowledge on the subject of energy management in industry. The methodology provides for the use of a computational tool called CMap Tools, which assists in the graphic representation of the proposed conceptual map. The conceptual map based on the ISO 50001 standard and on successful energy management practices described in the scientific literature is directed toward a process design covered by the managerial discipline called Business Process Management. The conceptual map is intended to clarify the relationships that are established between the intra-organizational and main external stakeholders involved in an energy management system. Owing to the way internal areas and external organizations relate, the representation structure using a "Spider" is the most appropriate. The work developed presents an energy management system for an energy-intensive industry in a clear (conceptually and visually), orderly, unified, harmonious, and balanced manner indicating the distribution of its elements, and serves as an initial step in the creation of an ontology for this area of knowledge.

De la lucha al testimonio. Las representaciones audiovisuales e interactivas del cáncer en los videojuegos / From fight to testimony. Audiovisual and interactive representations of cancer in video games / Da luta ao testemunho. Representações audiovisuais e interativas do câncer em videogames

Esta investigación explora la intersección entre el cáncer -una de las principales causas de mortalidad de las sociedades contemporáneas- y uno de los medios más significativos de la cultura popular en el siglo XXI: los videojuegos. El análisis de contenido de los mensajes ha comprendido ocho videojuegos que, durante los últimos 15 años, revelan un planteamiento narrativo en torno a la afección, pacientes, tratamientos y desenlace de la enfermedad. Los resultados señalan una construcción en la que perviven sus rasgos más populares dirigidos al empoderamiento social frente a la enfermedad a través del recurso a la ciencia, el respaldo social o las convicciones espirituales.(AU)

This article analyzes the intersection between cancer - one of the leading causes of death in contemporary society - and one of the most important forms of media in twentieth-century popular culture: video games. An analysis was conducted of messages conveyed by eight videogames launched in the last 15 years with narratives on the disease, patients, and cancer treatment and outcomes. The findings point to a narrative construction that depicts the most common features of the disease, focusing on social empowerment through the use of science, social support, and spiritual convictions.(AU)

Neste artigo analisamos a interseção entre o câncer - uma das principais causas de mortalidade nas sociedades contemporâneas - e uma das mídias mais significativas da cultura popular no século 21: os videogames. A análise de conteúdo das mensagens foi composta por oito videogames que, nos últimos 15 anos, revelam uma abordagem narrativa em torno da condição dos pacientes, dos tratamentos e do desfecho da doença. Os resultados apontam para uma construção em que permanecem seus traços mais populares, voltados para o empoderamento social frente à doença, por meio do uso da ciência, apoio social ou das convicções espirituais.(AU)

Evaluation of Respiratory Protection Program in Petrochemical Industries: Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process

BACKGROUND: Respiratory protection equipment (RPE) is the last resort to control exposure to workplace air pollutants. A comprehensive respiratory protection program (RPP) ensures that RPE is selected, used, and cared properly. Therefore, RPP must be well integrated into the occupational health and safety requirements. In this study, we evaluated the implementation of RPP in Iranian petrochemical industries to identify the required solutions to improve the current status of respiratory protection. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 24 petrochemical industries in Iran. The survey instrument was a checklist extracted from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration respiratory protection standard. An index, Respiratory Protection Program Index (RPPI), was developed and weighted by analytic hierarchy process to determine the compliance rate (CR) of provided respiratory protection measures with the RPP standard. Data analysis was performed using Excel 2010. RESULTS: The most important element of RPP, according to experts, was respiratory hazard evaluation. The average value of RPPI in the petrochemical plants was 49 ± 15%. The highest and lowest of CR among RPP elements were RPE selection and medical evaluation, respectively. CONCLUSION: None of studied petrochemical industries implemented RPP completely. This can lead to employees' overexposure to hazardous workplace air contaminants. Increasing awareness of employees and employers through training is suggested by this study to improve such conditions.

Quality of Work Life among Malaysian OSH Personnel and General Workers from Different Industries in Malaysia

@#Background: Quality of Work Life (QWL) is a subset of the quality of life which expresses the interactions between workers and their total working environment with individual or human dimension. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of QWL among Malaysian workers. Methods: 2740 respondents (1921 males and 819 females) were randomly selected from 11 different industries from all states of Malaysia. Respondents were aged between 18 to more than 55 years and were a local OSH Personnel and local general workers. Face to face interviews were conducted in all the selected industries using a structured questionnaire form adapted from Malaysian OSH Profile 2016. Respondents have completed the questionnaire under instructions and supervision of the research team. Results: Majority of the respondents were male (70.1%) and from manufacturing industries (76.3%). 50% of the respondents identified a high level of QWL in each component like not having a stress with the work load (85.5%), good work environment (78.4%), family life (83.1% and 83.6%), enough income and distribution (58.9%), good communication and harmonies relationship between colleagues and boss (93.4% and 88.7%), good facilities (88.6%), welfare at work (71.3%) and productive working condition (80.8%). There is a significant difference between QWL and type of industries [F(10)=12.897, p=0.001] where agriculture industry had the highest QWL. There is significant difference between QWL and gender (p=0.009) where male reported higher QWL compared to female. Conclusion: These findings could be used by the organizations in order to enhance its performance, productivity, employees’ commitment and satisfaction.

Energy Management in Industry: An Enterprise Engineering Approach

ABSTRACT Companies have needs and experience new opportunities to build their structure and align organizational process to achieve energy management with higher priority facing economic and environmental issues. The objective of this paper is to present the design and modeling of the Energy Management System (EnMS) in energy-intensive industries in an enterprise engineering approach, according to the management discipline called Business Process Management (BPM). The design of the process is based on the ISO 50001 standard and in good practices cited in the scientific literature. The methodology is characterized as basic, experimental, qualitative, and oriented according to the BPM development cycle. The process design created in the "should be" format presents a framework based on the Plan, Do, Check and Act (PDCA) cycle. The process is described in a necessary and sufficient way, arranging activities, actors and roles to establish an energy management process. The key process model of the energy review was developed in the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN). The design and modeling allows to: analyze the EnMS as a process for understanding the activities; assist decision making; automate processes; enable collaboration; allow alignment of the process with the strategy; support the change and assisting with the evaluation of the organizational potential to implement the EnMS.

Characterization of a hyperthermophilic sulphur-oxidizing biofilm produced by archaea isolated from a hot spring

Background: Sulphur-oxidizing microorganisms are widely used in the biofiltration of total reduced sulphur compounds (odorous and neurotoxic) produced by industries such as the cellulose and petrochemical industries, which include high-temperature process steps. Some hyperthermophilic microorganisms have the capability to oxidize these compounds at high temperatures (N60°C), and archaea of this group, for example, Sulfolobus metallicus, are commonly used in biofiltration technology. Results: In this study, a hyperthermophilic sulphur-oxidizing strain of archaea was isolated from a hot spring (Chillán, Chile) and designated as M1. It was identified as archaea of the genus Sulfolobus (99% homology with S. solfataricus 16S rDNA). Biofilms of this culture grown on polyethylene rings showed an elemental sulphur oxidation rate of 95.15 ± 15.39 mg S l-1 d-1, higher than the rate exhibited by the biofilm of the sulphur-oxidizing archaea S. metallicus (56.8 ± 10.91 mg l-1 d-1). Conclusions: The results suggest that the culture M1 is useful for the biofiltration of total reduced sulphur gases at high temperatures and for other biotechnological applications.

Adoption Of Responsible Care Program In Malaysian Chemical Industries: Current Status And Way Forward

@#Chemical industry is one of the important industries in the world. However, incidents happened due to the release of hazardous materials, toxic and poisonous chemicals in the chemical industries can cause fatal to human and destruction of the environment. Learning from the Bhopal disaster's experience, chemical industries have developed a program - Responsible Care, aiming to regain public trust through improving the environment, health and safety performances. Malaysia has adopted Responsible Care program since 1994 under the stewardship of the Chemical Industries Council of Malaysia (CICM). Six codes of management practices have been developed by the CICM, covering distribution, community awareness and emergency response, pollution prevention, process safety, employee health & safety and product stewardship. It has been more than 20 years since its inception. However, to date, there are only 125 companies have signed the pledge to adopt Responsible Care program. The CICM has also conducted several initiatives to encourage participation of chemical companies to adopt Responsible Care program in Malaysia. Therefore, it is the aim of this paper to review the current status of Responsible Care program in Malaysia and also deliberate the way forward of this program