Staff Experiences of Stress and Coping in a Residential Treatment Facility for Youth

Working in social services tends to be very stressful for workers. Caregivers are asked to work long hours, complete paperwork and administrative tasks and are responsible for the care and wellbeing of others. Eleven female Childcare Workers were interviewed to determine what causes them stress at work and how they cope. Stress was caused by: long hours, no breaks, low wages, unpaid work, poor communication, consistency and training, high expectations of staff, temper tantrums, abuse, and anxiety about meeting resident’s needs. Workers would like more support from their managersand reported a lack of effective teamwork. Many reported not coping well with the stressors of this job and most reported that they take their work stress home with them.

Characteristics of Active Duty Service Members Referred to the Navy’s Weight-Management Program

ABSTRACT Introduction Rates of overweight and obesity have increased in the military, particularly in the U.S. Navy. While the Navy has implemented weight-management programs like ShipShape, findings on the effectiveness of these programs are mixed. Further knowledge on the characteristics of service members (SMs) who participate in these programs may help inform course curricula and improve outcomes. This study aimed to (1) examine characteristics of SMs referred to the Navy’s ShipShape program at a large military treatment facility, (2) compare these characteristics among SMs who did and did not enroll in a randomized clinical trial of ShipShape (ShipShape study participants), and (3) compare demographic and health characteristics of ShipShape study participants to that of a random and similarly sized sample of Navy SMs who responded to the 2015 DoD Health-Related Behaviors Survey (HRBS). Materials and Methods Data from active duty Navy SMs referred to the ShipShape program at a large military treatment facility were evaluated (n = 225). A subset of these SMs enrolled in the ShipShape study (n = 187). Among enrolled SMs, data from 147 who completed all measures were compared to that of HRBS respondents. Univariate ANOVA and chi-square analyses were used to examine (1) demographic and motivational differences between SMs who did and did not enroll in the ShipShape study and (2) differences in demographics and medical and mental health conditions between ShipShape study participants and Navy HRBS respondents. Results The majority of SMs referred to ShipShape were female with an average age of 28.3 years. Compared to SMs who did not enroll in the ShipShape study (n = 38), ShipShape study participants were more likely to be female, less likely to be Hispanic, and had higher motivation and emotional eating scores. Compared to Navy HRBS respondents (n = 164), ShipShape study participants (n = 147) were younger, more likely to be female, non-Hispanic, enlisted, and obese. Further, ShipShape study participants reported significantly fewer medical health conditions but higher rates of probable depression, anxiety, and PTSD and were more likely to report receiving current mental health treatment than HRBS respondents. Conclusion Overweight or obese SMs seeking weight loss in the ShipShape study were relatively young, female, non-Hispanic, motivated, but with greater emotional eating. ShipShape study participants endorsed few medical health conditions but had higher rates of probable mental health conditions compared to the HRBS sample. These findings suggest that SMs referred to Navy weight-management programs are likely experiencing comorbid mental health conditions which may interfere with the effectiveness of their weight loss efforts. The descriptive nature of this study and the focus on Navy SMs in only one ShipShape program may decrease the generalizability of our findings to participants at other locations. Nonetheless, these findings demonstrate the potential need for Navy weight-management programs that incorporate mental health treatment and address the specific needs of female and diverse SMs. A more comprehensive curriculum could improve the results of weight-management efforts, increase SM quality of life and fitness and thereby operational readiness.

Waste to Energy in Sunter, Jakarta, Indonesia: Plans and Challenges

Waste-to-energy (WtE) power plants in waste management have been applied widespread because it is considered the best waste management solution compared to other waste management technologies. However, Jakarta has relied heavily on landfills regarding its waste management. Bantargebang landfill has been the only landfill owned by Jakarta and has been operating since 1989, so it has almost reached its capacity limit. Thus, to solve the problem, the Provincial Government of Jakarta has planned to build an Intermediate Treatment Facility (ITF) in a WtE power plant in Sunter. This article aims to find out the plans and the challenges of WtE in Sunter, Jakarta. This research was conducted with a literature study on waste to energy in several countries that have applied it to their waste management systems and literature related to the progress of waste to energy development in Indonesia especially ITF Sunter, and the challenges that must be done faced. Based on the literature study, building an ITF is one of the Jakarta Provincial Government’s responsibilities. However, the composition and characteristics of the waste tend to be lower than (WtE) standards, so the waste cannot be effectively processed. Therefore, the use of a pre-treatment facility should be considered.

Advanced Electron Beam (EB) Wastewater Treatment System with Low Background X-ray Intensity Generation

Electron beam wastewater treatment is a very effective method for the destruction of organic and microbiological pollutants. The technology was implemented for municipal and textile industry wastewater treatment. Availability of electron accelerators characterized with different operation parameters make the technology applicable for different end-users and also for installation in confined spaces. In such a case, the design of wastewater irradiation room has to take into account the limited space available for shielding construction, which must restrict X-ray emission. Considering construction of an irradiation room for water treatment facility, it is important to focus not only on a stream formation for irradiation to achieve the desired electron penetration, but also on the reduction in x-ray generation. In the presented work, the X-ray field was tested, using modelling and experimental methods. The final results gave an advanced solution, which can be used in the installation of wastewater treatment, ballast and other types of origin, providing low cost shield and good radiation protection measures.

Gaseous pollutants from a small-scale aerobic biological treatment facility: odor and health risk assessment

Background Biological treatment technology is good for the recovery of resources and energy from municipal solid waste (MSW) and cutting down biodegradable components in landfill waste. Recently, the aerobic biological treatment of MSW has increased in rural areas of China. These facilities are usually open setup and close to nearby residents, and complaints tend to be received regarding odorous gases. A semi-in-vessel setup facility was built in recent years, and its impact on the environment and personnel is not clear. Results Ammonia was the predominant compound released from the windrow and its concentration was one order of magnitude higher than those of other compounds. Terpenes and reduced sulfur compounds (RSCs) persisted throughout the entire active fermentation process, with only slight decreases. The biofilter pool had a greater odor impact on the surrounding neighborhood than the waste unloading and sorting operation. The concentrations of most compounds were reduced by the biofilter pool. Ten major substances that caused odors at the facility were analyzed, where most comprised RSCs. The odor impact of the facility was low, but it was associated with a carcinogenic risk to the operators, thereby indicating the need to improve personal protection. Conclusions Large amounts of ammonia and volatile organic compounds were released from the composting units, but they had a low odor impact on the environment because of the semi-in-vessel setup. The odor impact of the facility was low but it was associated with a carcinogenic risk to the operators. This technology can be popularized in rural areas.

Community based solid waste management to reduce open burning incidents: A case study of waste treatment facility in Gajahmungkur District, Semarang City

Ngudi Kamulyan is a domestic waste treatment facility which imply 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) in Gajahmungkur District, Semarang City-Indonesia. This facility is already in status quo due to the lack of human resources and this Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, this facility has chances to improve its services after the pandemic. The activation of this facility can reduce the number of mismanage waste and open burning incidents. Performance improvement planning is carried out based on the five aspects of waste management. This study was conducted using qualitative analysis and questionnaire survey to the neighbourhood leaders and facility officers. Community participation planning was done with activities focused on improving the 3R habit in the community. There is a need for continuous supervision from related parties, such as Gajahmungkur District Semarang City Government and the Environmental Agency of Semarang City. That supervision will be necessary to make the waste treatment facility and operational activities of 3R could run consistently.