Decreases in ocean pH through ocean acidification has shown to have direct negative impacts on the early life stages of the Pacific purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Research has suggested that multiple stressors could exacerbate, cancel, or even alleviate the impacts of ocean acidification on echinoderms. This study assessed the combined effects of changes in pCO2 concentrations (390, 800, 1500 ppm), salinities (28, 31, 34 ppt) and temperatures (12, 15, 18°C) on fertilization and larval development in S. purpuratus. Increased pCO2 was the predominant stressor, with additive and antagonistic effects from temperature changes, and no effect from salinity changes. Stressor combinations significantly decreased the rate of normal larval development by 28 – 68%, whereas fertilization and larval survival were unaffected. The strong impact on normal larval development likely indicates that later development stages could be detrimentally affected and could influence the population dynamics of S. purpuratus.

Darbo tikslas. Įvertinti greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbuotojų darbo organizavimo ypatumus ir streso išreikštumo lygį darbe. Uždaviniai: 1. Įvertinti darbo organizavimo ypatumus greitosios medicinos pagalbos stotyse darbuotojų požiūriu. 2. Įvertinti patiriamo streso išreikštumo lygį greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbe. 3. Išanalizuoti veiksnius, sukeliančius didžiausią stresą, organizuojant greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbuotojų darbą. Tyrimo metodika. 2012 m. atlikta greitosios medicinos pagalbos darbuotojų anketinė apklausa (Kauno rajono Greitosios medicinos pagalbos (GMP) stotis, Alytaus raj. GMP stotis, Prienų raj. GMP stotis ir Kauno m. GMP stotis). Rezultatai. 80,8 proc. respondentų nurodė, kad darbo krūvis būna per didelis ir 76,7 proc., kad dirba ypač sunkiai. Didžioji dauguma respondentų teigia, kad tenka bendrauti su sudėtingais pacientais. 86,5 proc. teigė, kad žino už ką yra atsakingi. Nustatyta problema – kvalifikuotų specialistų trūkumas GMP stotyse, net 42 proc. respondentų teigė, jog specialistų trūkumas apsunkina jų darbą. Tyrimo metu paaiškėjo, kad 73,1 proc. respondentų teigia, jog jų atostogų grafikas yra tinkamas. Daugiau kaip pusė (73,1 proc.) respondentų nurodė visada/dažnai darbo metu jaučiantys emocinį nuovargį. Didžiausią stresą respondentai patiria situacijose, susijusiose su paciento mirtimi, bendraudami su įtūžusiais pacientais, kai iškyla grėsmė sveikatai ir saugumui bei esant netikrumui dėl specializuotų įrengimų funkcionavimo. Išvados... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the study. To determine the characteristics of work organization and the level of stress experienced by emergency health care workers. Methods of the research. In 2012 an anonymous questionnaire survey was done among 350 healthcare professionals at the Emergency departments of Kaunas region, Alytus region, Prienai region and Kaunas city. Analysis of work organization in relation to experienced stress by emergency health care workers was held. 245 questionnaires were filled, which make 70% in total. Results. 80.8% of the respondents claim having overload of work and 76,7% - work extremely hard. The majority of health care workers often encounter difficult patients. 86.5% of the respondents work according to the training received. The problem is the lack of qualified specialists at Emergency medical stations, even 42% of the respondents claim that the lack of specialists complicates the work. The study showed that 73,1 % are satisfied by a holiday schedule. More than a half (73.1%) usually feel emotionally tired. Respondents ofen experience the greatest stress in situations involving patient’s death, communicating with patients when there is a threat to health and safety, and when there is uncertainty on the functioning of the specialized equipment. Conclusions. According to the study, the organization of work is well-planned: the respondents are informed about their duties and responsibilities; work according to the training received and are independent, the... [to full text]

Mental health disorders are highest among adults who are separated and divorced, with 23% of men in this group reporting a mental illness. Separated men are more likely to commit suicide compared with married men. In Australia, there are over 53,100 divorces per annum, involving almost 50,000 children. To date, little research has been conducted on the mental health of separated men who are fathers. Aims: Using a pilot qualitative study, parenting and health issues reported by 23 south-east Queensland separated fathers were examined. The pilot study informed the selection of correlates and measurements for the quantitative study. The aims of the subsequent quantitative study of 80 Queensland separated fathers were to examine: (1) how postseparation stressors, conflict with the ex-partner, access to children, and generativity impact on fathers' grief; and (2) how grief impacts on the mental health of separated fathers. Model: Variables correlating with separated fathers' grief and mental health were entered into the health model proposed by Bartholomew, Parcel, and Kok (1995). Generativity (caring for others and providing support for the next generation) was a key construct in this research. Results: Results of grief analyses, as measured by the Separated Fathers Grief Scale, indicated that the more generative a separated father, and the fewer and less intense the stressors in his life, the less his grief. A grieving father's access to his children and his perception of his financial insecurity correlated with alcohol abuse, conflict with his expartner and stressors in his life. Parenting concerns were the predominant factor affecting conflict with the ex-partner and stressors for separated fathers. Results indicate that a generative father with a positive perception of his financial security and few stressors had low levels of depression anxiety and stress, unless he was unable to resolve his grief over separation from his children. Implications for Public Health: For separated fathers, findings that increased generativity serves as a preventive for grief and mental health problems, support the potential benefit of educational programs utilising an adult developmental approach. Social and legislative changes are required to ensure that: fathering is given equal importance to mothering; consensual rather than adversarial legal processes are promoted; and equitable maintenance and financial planning strategies are promoted to increase the financial security of all separated parents and their children.

This diploma thesis deals with the resilience of students in school environment. The thesis is theoretically and empirically based. The theoretical part describes the concept of resilience with emphasis being placed on the most significant theories of resilience and on the resilience of children and adolescent. The specifics of adolescent student´s developement are also described. Furthermore, the work focuses on the concept of stress with detailed attention paid to school stressors. The research part is related to the theoretical part. Via the methods of interviewing and questionnaires, the way student´s resilience affects their school results is observed. In addition, the thesis focused on the teacher´s perception of the issue of resilience. Finally, the most significant school stressors of students were inspected.

Amphibian populations are rapidly declining worldwide. Although individual factors may have large local influences, worldwide declines are attributed to interacting global stressors including rising temperatures and environmental pollutants. Globally, water temperatures closely track rising air temperatures and increase the metabolic rates of aquatic ectotherms, changing the rates of uptake, biotransformation, and excretion of contaminants, such as metals. To test how interactions of multiple, chronic stressors affect amphibian growth, I exposed Cope's gray treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis) in an outdoor mesocosm facility to three temperature regimes (ambient, ambient +1.5 oC, ambient +2.5 oC) in filtered lake water amended with mixtures of cadmium, copper, and lead ranging from 3.7 to 26.7 risk quotients (relative to the chronic concentration criteria protective of freshwater organisms). Temperature shifts and sublethal metals concentrations significantly affected the energetics of tadpoles as assessed by non-parametric and parametric analyses. Regression analyses indicated no significant relationship between temperature and time to forelimb emergence at the three lowest metals concentrations, but the relationship was parabolic at the three highest concentrations, indicating a differential effect of temperature across a gradient of water quality. The concept that tadpoles increase developmental rates to escape unfavorable aquatic conditions was supported at each temperature by shortened time to forelimb emergence (Gosner Stage 42) at the second highest metals concentration. This response, however, was overwhelmed by the energetic costs associated with the highest concentration and the highest temperature. Moreover, these parabolic relationships match predictions based on species specific thermal windows and pejus temperatures. My findings indicate that global warming may affect contaminated waters to a greater extent than pristine aquatic ecosystems, and that the primary effect may be diminished pejus and critical thermal maximum temperatures, and a narrowing of the species' thermal window.

Exposure to environmental stressors may challenge children’s developing self-regulatory abilities and increase their risk of developing emotional and behavior problems. Interventions aimed at improving children’s self-regulatory skills, specifically emotion regulation and attentional control, may reduce children’s risk for adjustment problems. The present study proposed a novel theoretical model which describes how participation in yoga may increase children’s self-regulatory skills and increase children’s mindfulness, or the ability to focus attention on the present moment. Both self-regulation and mindfulness were expected to be associated with fewer anxiety problems. Components of the theoretical model were evaluated using a very small sample of at-risk, elementary-aged children who participated in a school-based yoga program. Consistent with expectations, emotion regulation was statistically and significantly associated with better mindfulness and less anxiety; attentional control was associated with fewer anxiety problems. Contrary to expectations, attentional control was unrelated to mindfulness. Moreover, mindfulness did not interact with either attentional control or emotion regulation to predict anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical implications and critical next steps needed to evaluate yoga as a potential tool for reducing children’s risk for problem behavior by way of strengthening self-regulatory mechanisms.

D. Cur.( Psychiatric Nursing Science) / Research has shown that white South African males between the ages of thirty and forty-five are a vulnerable target group for experiencing stress. Businessmen, particularly those involved in managing their business independently, comprise a section of this category and experience unique stressors which differ from those of other individuals. It is of importance to take cognisance of the fact that in spite of the stress factors which negatively influence the businessman's home and work life, there are yet businessmen who cope with such stress effectively and lead a meaningful and productive life, whilst others are unable to cope with the negative stress factors. In the presentation of various courses aimed at promoting mental health, the researcher found that independent businessmen identified the need for continued, adequate support and a meaningful and balanced life. These businessmen wish to formulate priorities effectively, make choices and mobilize resources in their quest for wholeness. The question which arose for the researcher may be stated as follows: To what extent would the exploration and description of the experiential world of the businessman serve as a basis for the generation of a model for the promotion of the mental health of independent businessmen? This model will include guidelines for the application of a comprehensive enrichment programme which will facilitate the businessman's quest for wholeness...

This work investigated the effects of various stressors on auditory speech processing using speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (ABR). This work was carried out in three distinct studies: (1) the effects of stimulus rate and noise on the speech-evoked ABR, (2) the effects of direct, early, and later-arriving speech reflections on the speech-evoked ABR, and (3) the effects of self-masking and overlap masking in a reverberant environment using speech-evoked ABR. Results from the first study indicate a complex interaction of fast stimulus rate and noise on the speech-evoked ABR. In particular, dissociation was found between electrophysiological responses to the envelope and the responses to the temporal fine structure or transient waves. The main finding from the second study is that direct sound and early reflections produce similar speech-evoked ABR, while the response to late reverberation shows different characteristics. Results from the third study indicate that severe reverberation significantly weakened the ABR when compared to anechoic or moderate reverberation, while moderate reverberation significantly enhanced the ABR when compared to anechoic speech. Overall, the new findings from this research shed light on the effects of stressors such as noise, increased stimulus rate, and reverberation. Up until now, these effects have mostly been studied perceptually. Our research demonstrates that these effects can be studied electrophysiologically using speech-evoked brainstem responses. This method of investigation permits the probing of particular stages of the auditory pathway and evaluating how neural activity in response to specific elements of speech, such as the fundamental frequency and formants, is affected by different stressors.

abstract: Employee wellbeing is a top concern for many organizations as its been linked to job performance and organizational commitment (Colquit, LePine, & Wesson, 2019). Research suggests that overall wellbeing is important to employees as well. Organizations are significantly investing into upgrading workplace environments, and there is a need for a clear understanding of how those improvements truly impact employee wellbeing. Current workplace research reveals that the open-office floorplan accounts for more than 70% of office layouts in the United States and is most commonly used for the benefits of collaboration and efficiency (Gallup, 2017). However, the open office layout ranks poorly in current employee wellbeing studies with a number of office environment stressors such as noise, distractions, and privacy concerns noted to impact employee wellbeing (C. Bodin-Danielsson, 2016; Haynes, Suckley, & Nunnington, 2017). The knowledge work performed in office environments require high amounts of cognitive tasks and when combined with filtering distractions in the workplace it can increase strains caused by common office stressors, thereby impacting employee wellbeing (Bridger & Brasher, 2011). This study will examine common stressors from the open office environment and compare employee’s perceptions of their work environment before and after renovations, as well as observations and behavioral mapping that record how the built environment influences the behaviors of the occupants. This research seeks to understand how wellbeing in the open office is affected by its different physical environmental settings, and how this environment influences employee’s behaviors. The end research goal is to see if there is a significant correlation of physical work environment and workplace behaviors that are common in the open office to help understand how the designed interior workplace impacts the wellbeing of its users. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Design 2020

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