Association of Choroidal Thickness with Sleep Deprivation in Night-Shift Healthcare Workers

Background: Good vision is an important factor for most night-shift personnel, and the effects of sleep deprivation on visual function must be studied. Up to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the effect of nigh working on choroidal indices. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on choroidal thickness. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 night-shift healthcare workers of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) army medical core. Baseline choroidal thickness was measured for all participants using optical coherence tomography (OCT), and at the same time (10 AM to 2 PM) a day following the night shift, participants underwent a second measurement of choroidal thickness. The awake time before the second measurement was recorded. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of the participants was 42.55 ± 5.52 that 52% were female. A statistically significant increase in choroidal thickness was recorded following night-shift (P = 0.001). Choroidal thickness following night-shift significantly correlated with age (r = -0.614; p = 0.001), awake time (r = 0.417; P = 0.003) and with baseline thickness of choroid (r = 0.830; P = 0.001). Conclusions: It seems that sleep deprivation may increase choroidal thickness, and the awake time may a predictor of choroidal thickness change after the night shift.

Analysis of Psychological Risks in the Professional Activities of Oil and Gas Workers in the Far North of the Russian Federation

The professional activity in shifts in the Arctic contributes to the development of unfavorable functional status and destructive personal qualities of workers, which leads to a decrease in the level of mental health and efficiency of labor activity. The reference to the risk-oriented approach is conditioned by the need to predict the professional efficiency of shift personnel. The purpose of this study is to determine the psychological risks of oil and gas workers with a shift work organization in the Arctic. The study involved 70 oil and gas workers. The research methods were used as follows: documentation study, work process monitoring, questionnaire survey, psychophysiological and psychological testing, and statistical analysis methods: descriptive statistics—conjugacy tables with calculation of Pearson’s criterion, two-stage cluster, dispersion, and discriminant analyzes. As a result of this research, it was established that oil and gas workers characterized by different combinations of character accentuations would have different psychological risks, and, consequently, different approaches to their psychological support are needed.

Online monitoring of inorganic cooking chemicals in white liquor by pulse voltammetry

White liquor parameters in the recovery area of a kraft pulp mill were monitored for a 1-year period using rhodium as an electrode material in a sensor system based on pulse voltammetry. Shift personnel performed offline titration analysis of the liquor every 4 hours. The results for effective alkali, sulfidity, and total titratable alkali were used to train and validate the sensor for online monitoring. Partial least square regression models developed from 150 reference titration results for each parameter from the first month of the study predicted concentrations for the following 11 months. Validation of the models using titration results indicated that overall relative root mean squared errors for prediction of the parameters were 3.7% for effective alkali, 3.4% for sulfidity, and 5.1% for total titratable alkali. Process stops that exposed the sensor to temperature excursions or acid washings resulted in temporary periods of poor prediction.

“Shiftwork Solutions: A Systems Perspective”

This paper presents both a process and a starting point for resolving the many complex problems associated with shiftwork. The author argues that an organizational development (OD) framework is required to diagnose shiftwork consequences and design effective interventions. Moreover, the paper reveals that the appropriate starting point for a shiftwork OD intervention is management education aimed toward the establishment of an organizational culture which values “off-shift” personnel.