Nature-Based Stress Management Course for Individuals at Risk of Adverse Health Effects from Work-Related Stress

Sick leave due to stress-related disorders is increasing in Sweden after a period of decrease. To avoid that individuals living under heavy stress develop more severe stress-related disorders, different stress management interventions are offered. Self-assessed health, burnout-scores and well-being are commonly used as outcome measures. Few studies have used sick-leave to compare effects of stress interventions. A new approach is to use nature and garden in a multimodal stress management context. This study aimed to explore effects on burnout, work ability, stress-related health symptoms, and sick leave for 33 women participating in a 12-weeks nature based stress management course and to investigate how the nature/garden activities were experienced. A mixed method approach was used. Measures were taken at course start and three follow-ups. Results showed decreased burnout-scores and long-term sick leaves, and increased work ability; furthermore less stress-related symptoms were reported. Tools and strategies to better handle stress were achieved and were widely at use at all follow-ups. The garden and nature content played an important role for stress relief and for tools and strategies to develop. The results from this study points to beneficial effects of using garden activities and natural environments in a stress management intervention

auto-retrato/autorretrato 2008

Conforme segue, a imagem de si pode ser simples devaneio dos meios

Contrasting seismic risk for Santiago, Chile, from near-field and distant earthquake sources

More than half of all the people in the world now live in dense urban centres. The rapid expansion of cities, particularly in low-income nations, has enabled the economic and social development of millions of people. However, many of these cities are located near active tectonic faults that have not produced an earthquake in recent memory, raising the risk of losing hard-earned progress through a devastating earthquake. In this paper we explore the possible impact that earthquakes can have on the city of Santiago in Chile from various potential near-field and distant earthquake sources. We use high-resolution stereo satellite imagery and imagery-derived digital elevation models to accurately map the trace of the San Ramón Fault, a recently recognised active fault located along the eastern margins of the city. We use scenario-based seismic-risk analysis to compare and contrast the estimated damage and losses to the city from several potential earthquake sources and one past event, comprising (i) rupture of the San Ramón Fault, (ii) a hypothesised buried shallow fault beneath the centre of the city, (iii) a deep intra-slab fault, and (iv) the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake. We find that there is a strong magnitude–distance trade-off in terms of damage and losses to the city, with smaller magnitude earthquakes in the magnitude range of 6–7.5 on more local faults producing 9 to 17 times more damage to the city and estimated fatalities compared to the great magnitude 8+ earthquakes located offshore in the subduction zone. Our calculations for this part of Chile show that unreinforced-masonry structures are the most vulnerable to these types of earthquake shaking. We identify particularly vulnerable districts, such as Ñuñoa, Santiago, and Providencia, where targeted retrofitting campaigns would be most effective at reducing potential economic and human losses. Due to the potency of near-field earthquake sources demonstrated here, our work highlights the importance of also identifying and considering proximal minor active faults for cities in seismic zones globally in addition to the more major and distant large fault zones that are typically focussed on in the assessment of hazard

Influence of synthesis experimental parameters on the formation of magnetite nanoparticles prepared by polyol method

In this paper we present a modified polyol method for synthesizing magnetite nanoparticles using iron (III) nitrate, a low toxic and cheap precursor salt. The influence of the precursor salt nature and initial ferric concentration in the average particle size and magnetic properties of the obtained nanoparticles were investigated. Magnetite nanoparticles have received much attention due to the multiple uses in the biomedical field; for these purposes nanoparticles with monodisperse size distribution, superparamagnetic behavior and a combination between small average size and high saturation magnetization are required. The polyol conventional method allows synthesizing water-dispersible magnetite nanoparticles with these features employing iron (III) acetylacetonate as precursor salt. Although the particle sizes of samples synthesized from the conventional polyol method (denoted CM) are larger than those of samples synthesized from the modified method (denoted MM), they display similar saturation magnetization. The differences in the nanoparticles average sizes of samples CM and samples MM were explained though the known nanoparticle formation mechanism.Fil: Vega Chacón, Jaime. Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería; Perú. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Picasso, Gino. Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería; PerúFil: Aviles Felix, Luis Steven. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; ArgentinaFil: Jafelicci, Miguel Jr.. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; Brasi

Factors Contributing to Interannual Variability in the Abundance of Bay Anchovy (Anchoa Mitchilli) Larvae

Coastal ecosystems have been subject to increasing stressors over recent decades due to coastal development, human population growth, and climate change. Improving scientific understanding of the environmental factors which influence the productivity of fish populations in coastal ecosystems is vital to their prudent management, especially as the potential influence of anthropogenic climate change grows. Estuaries serve as critical habitats for many fishes of primary ecological, economic, and recreational importance. One such fish, the planktivorous Bay Anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), is abundant along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the US and is a key prey resource for many estuarine and coastal piscivores. Within North Inlet-Winyah Bay estuary Georgetown, SC, the bay anchovy historically was one of the most abundant fishes in the system. However, recent surveys have suggested their populations have declined over the past 30 years. To determine what has contributed to the interannual variability in the fish’s abundance, I used a suite of long-term data sets collected between 1981 and 2002 including biweekly collections of anchovy larvae, mesozooplankton including a calanoid copepod (Acartia tonsa), and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration as well as monthly river discharge. Here I explored how variability in the timing of life events (phenology) of A. mitchilli’s prey (as measured by copepod density) influenced interannual variability in larval abundance. I also tested how differences between A. mitchilli and copepod phenology could contribute to variability in A. mitchilli larval abundance. The influence of freshwater discharge on the interannual variability of A. mitchilli larval abundance was also explored. I hypothesized that lower discharge rates could lead to decreased nutrient supply and therefore contribute to declines in Chl-a concentrations and copepod abundances, which would have negative influences on A. mitchilli larval abundance. Analysis revealed that river discharge and A. mitchilli larval density were inversely correlated, contradictory to what was hypothesized. Lack of significant relationship between copepods and A. mitchilli larval density may suggest that copepods are not a significant source of food for larval and adult bay anchovy within the system. Future work is required to fully assess the factors which contribute to the interannual variability in A. mitchilli larval density

Is classical reality completely deterministic?

The concept of determinism for a classical system is interpreted as the requirement that the solution to the Cauchy problem for the equations of motion governing this system be unique. This requirement is generally assumed to hold for all autonomous classical systems. We give counterexamples of this view. Our analysis of classical electrodynamics in a world with one temporal and one spatial dimension shows that the solution to the Cauchy problem with the initial conditions of a particular type is not unique. Therefore, random behavior of closed classical systems is indeed possible. This finding provides a qualitative explanation of how classical strings can split. We propose a modified path integral formulation of classical mechanics to include indeterministic systems.Comment: Replace the paper with a revised versio