BNST transient activity associates with approach behavior in a stressful environment and is modulated by the parabrachial nucleus

Nursing has always been a stressful job affecting the physical and mental health of the nurses, but the new medical context of the COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced this issue. The objective of this paper is to study differences between non-employed and employed nursing students in the medical system of Romania before and during the epidemic using matching methods and a sample of 526 nursing students. Stressors and strategies for coping with stress were also identified during the pandemic. The results indicated that employed students were more vulnerable to stress compared to non-employed ones before and during the pandemic. Females registered significantly higher stress scores compared to males in the period of the epidemic. The analysis of the overall sample suggested that gender and environment were significant stress factors during the pandemic, but living conditions were not relevant. The most effective coping strategies against stress for nurses during the COVID-19 crisis were based on self-control and the spiritual dimension, unlike the previous period when other colleagues’ support helped most nurses to overcome difficult working conditions. The implications of this study might help medical management in ensuring a less stressful environment for nurses during the epidemic.

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How the anisotropy of surface oxide formation influences the transient activity of a surface reaction

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-020-20377-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

P. Winkler ◽

J. Zeininger ◽

Y. Suchorski ◽

M. Stöger-Pollach ◽

P. Zeller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hydrogen Oxidation ◽

Surface Oxidation ◽

Surface Reactivity ◽

Surface Oxide ◽

Surface Structures ◽

Oxide Formation ◽

Reaction Fronts ◽

Transient Activity ◽

Surface Oxide Formation ◽

Stepped Surface

AbstractScanning photoelectron microscopy (SPEM) and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) allow local surface analysis and visualising ongoing reactions on a µm-scale. These two spatio-temporal imaging methods are applied to polycrystalline Rh, representing a library of well-defined high-Miller-index surface structures. The combination of these techniques enables revealing the anisotropy of surface oxidation, as well as its effect on catalytic hydrogen oxidation. In the present work we observe, using locally-resolved SPEM, structure-sensitive surface oxide formation, which is summarised in an oxidation map and quantitatively explained by the novel step density (SDP) and step edge (SEP) parameters. In situ PEEM imaging of ongoing H2 oxidation allows a direct comparison of the local reactivity of metallic and oxidised Rh surfaces for the very same different stepped surface structures, demonstrating the effect of Rh surface oxides. Employing the velocity of propagating reaction fronts as indicator of surface reactivity, we observe a high transient activity of Rh surface oxide in H2 oxidation. The corresponding velocity map reveals the structure-dependence of such activity, representing a direct imaging of a structure-activity relation for plenty of well-defined surface structures within one sample.

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Sensory Stimulation in the NICU Environment: Devices, Systems, and Procedures to Protect and Stimulate Premature Babies

Children ◽

10.3390/children8050334 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 334

Author(s):

Francesco Massimo Vitale ◽

Gaetano Chirico ◽

Carmen Lentini

Keyword(s):

Music Therapy ◽

Preterm Infants ◽

Noise Pollution ◽

Sensory Stimulation ◽

Normative Values ◽

Control Groups ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Stressful Environment ◽

Premature Babies ◽

Systematic Control

Prematurity deprives infants of the prenatal sensory stimulation essential to their correct development; in addition, the stressful environment of the NICU impacts negatively on their growth. The purpose of this review was to investigate the effects of NICU noise pollution on preterm infants and parents. We focused on the systems and projects used to control and modulate sounds, as well as on those special devices and innovative systems used to deliver maternal sounds and vibrations to this population. The results showed beneficial effects on the preterm infants in different areas such as physiological, autonomic, and neurobehavioral development. Although most of these studies highlight positive reactions, there is also a general acknowledgement of the current limits: small and heterogeneous groups, lack of structured variable measurements, systematic control groups, longitudinal studies, and normative values. The mother’s presence is always preferred, but the use of music therapy and the devices analyzed, although not able to replace her presence, aim to soften her absence through familiar and protective stimuli, which is a very powerful aid during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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