Alleviating heat stress during early-season establishment of containerized strawberry transplants

BACKGROUND: Earlier planting under subtropical climatic conditions has been proposed as a means of increasing strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa Duch.) profitability but exposes transplants to heat stress. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, physical and chemical methods of ameliorating heat stress on the establishment, growth, and yield of containerized strawberry transplants were evaluated. METHODS: We used a split-plot design with white-on-black (white) mulch and black mulch as main plot treatments; and a factorial arrangement of transplant type and stress-prevention application was randomly assigned to the subplots. ‘Florida Radiance’ Jiffy plug and tray plug transplants were treated either with s-abscisic acid or with kaolin. RESULTS: White mulch resulted in greater plant vigor and vegetative growth than black mulch. Kaolin plus white mulch provided protection against heat stress as indicated by increased photosynthesis rates. At 4 weeks after transplanting, plant vigor and shoot growth were higher and flowering occurred earlier with Jiffy plug transplants than with tray plug transplants. Early marketable yields were higher with white mulch than with black mulch in three of the four site years. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of white mulch, Jiffy plug transplants, and kaolin application appears to have the best potential for alleviating heat stress during early-season strawberry establishment under subtropical conditions.

Prevention of transport stress in the realization of the adaptive potential of pigs

The article presents the results of research on the realization of the adaptive, productive and reproductive potential of pigs by immunoprophylaxis of transport stress with Pigstim preparations. The transport stress prevention for replacement gilts with immunotropic drugs PigStim-C and PigStim-M contributed to their adaptive and reproductive potential realization by reducing the age of first insemination by 7.7-9.0 days and increasing its fertility, increasing the number of liveborns by 6.8-8.5% and reducing the number of stillborn piglets by 50 and 25%, increasing the viability by 1.72-3.32% and growth rate of piglets during the suckling period by 2.9- 4.0% and reducing the weaning-to-insemination period by 6.4 and 8.5%. The immunoprophylaxis of transport stress in weaned pigs ensured their adaptive and productive potential in long-term growing completion and store feeding period by increasing the live weight of stores by the end of growing completion by 1.66 and 2.55 kg and feeding period by 1.23 and 3.17 kg, reducing the incidence by 5.0 and 4.0% and increasing the viability of the livestock by 2.0%, increasing the effectiveness of therapeutic measures.

Podcast Media in Consultation Services to Develop Academic Stress Prevention Skills

The rapid digitization of education in a pandemic has an impact on academic stress conditions. Counsellors have not implemented various innovative media but need relevant and millennial media to support consulting services with podcasts. This article aims to analyze the feasibility of podcast media in consulting services to develop academic stress prevention skills. Research and development limited to five stages help know the feasibility of podcasts as support for consulting services, especially academic stress prevention skills. The data analyzed the feasibility questionnaire instrument through expert validators, media, and practitioners (counsellors) quantitatively with percentages and inter-rater analysis. The results of the research show that podcast media is quite relevant to use in consulting services. The relevance and accuracy of podcast media can adjust to the content of the supporting material. Prevention of academic stress isn’t only with knowledge but skills to cope with academic stress in all conditions, especially in pandemic and post-pandemic situations. Professional and millennial counsellors can develop skills in the use of podcast media in consulting services. Can use Podcast media directly in consulting services. Recordings of podcast results can be used indirectly in consulting services or group guidance services, group counselling, individual counselling, and classical guidance as a follow-up.

Reflection on leadership behavior: potentials and limits in the implementation of stress-preventive leadership of middle management in hospitals – a qualitative evaluation of a participatory developed intervention

Background Mental health and stress prevention aspects related to workplace in hospitals are gaining increasingly more attention in research. The workplace hospital is characterized by high work intensity, high emotional demands, and high levels of stress. These conditions can be a risk for the development of mental disorders. Leadership styles can hinder or foster work-related stress and influence the well-being of employees. Through leadership interventions, leaders may be encouraged to develop a stress-preventive leadership style that addresses both, the well-being of the leaders and of the subordinates. A comprehensive qualitative description of leaders’ experiences with interventions on the topic of stress-preventive leadership is yet missing in the literature. Therefore, we address leaders of middle management regarding the development of stress-preventive leadership styles through supporting interventions. The research questions are: How do leaders of middle management perceive their leadership role in terms of effectiveness in stress prevention? Which potentials and limits in the implementation of stress-preventive leadership are experienced? Methods The study follows a qualitative research design and content analysis. We conducted individual interviews with leaders of middle management (n = 30) of a tertiary hospital in Germany for the participatory development of an intervention. This intervention, consisting of five consecutive modules, addressed leaders of middle management in all work areas within one hospital. After participation in the intervention, the leaders were asked to reflect on and evaluate the implementation of the contents learned within focus group discussions. Overall 10 focus group discussions with leaders (n = 60) were conducted. Results The results demonstrate that leaders of middle management perceived potentials for a stress-preventive leadership style (e.g., reflection on leadership role and leadership behavior, awareness/mindfulness, and conveying appreciation). However, limits were also mentioned. These can be differentiated into self-referential, subordinate-related, and above all organizational barriers for the implementation of stress-preventive leadership. Conclusions Some of the organizational barriers can be addressed by mid-level leadership interventions (e.g., lack of peer-exchange) or possibly by adapted leadership interventions for top management (e.g., lack of stress-preventive leadership styles in top level management). Other organizational limits are working conditions (e.g., staff shortage) that can only be influenced by health policy decisions.

PENITENTIARY STRESS AS A FACTOR IN THE DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF FOREIGN PENal STAFF

В данной статье рассматриваются причины и меры профилактики пенитенциарного стресса как фактора формирования деструктивного поведения сотрудников пенитенциарных систем зарубежных стран. В настоящее время проблема деструктивного поведения сотрудников правоохранительных органов является одной из самых актуальных. Большинство проблем, связанных с деструктивным поведением сотрудников пенитенциарных систем, с которыми сталкиваются зарубежные страны, к сожалению, существуют и в уголовно-исполнительной системе Российской Федерации. Их особенности заключаются в специфике служебной деятельности и множестве трудных, критических ситуаций. Согласно исследованиям, стресс и его последствия испытывает каждый четвертый сотрудник правоохранительных органов. Существующие исследования доказывают, что высокие требования, низкий контроль и дисбаланс между усилиями и вознаграждением являются факторами риска для психических и соматических проблем со здоровьем. Часто сотрудникам нелегко самостоятельно справиться с теми или иными проблемами, возникающими в процессе служебной деятельности, что приводит к появлению деструктивного поведения. В статье проведен анализ разработанных мер профилактики пенитенциарного стресса, а также различных форм психологических программ. Специалистам, оказывающим психологическую помощь сотрудникам, особое внимание необходимо уделять существующим психологическим программам, направленным на изменение отношений сотрудников, в целях профилактики их деструктивного поведения, мотивируя их к изменению своего когнитивного процесса. This article deals with the causes and measures of penitentiary stress prevention as a factor of destructive behaviour of foreign penal staff . At present the problem of disruptive behaviour of law enforcement officers is one of the most urgent. Most of the problems related to destructive behavior of penal officers which are faced by foreign countries unfortunately also exist in the penal system of the Russian Federation. Their peculiarities lie in the specifics of service activities and many difficult, critical situations. According to studies stress and its consequences are experienced by one in four law enforcement officers. Existing research proves that high demands, low control and an imbalance between effort and reward are risk factors for mental and somatic health problems. Often employees find it difficult to cope independently with the kinds of problems that arise in the course of their work leading to the emergence of disruptive behaviour. The article analyses the measures that have been developed to prevent penitentiary stress as well as various forms of psychological programmes. Professionals providing psychological assistance to staff need to pay particular attention to existing psychological programmes aimed at changing staff attitudes in order to prevent disruptive behaviour by motivating them to change their cognitive process.

ECONOMIC INSECURITY AND STRESS AS DETERMINANTS OF COVID-19 PREVENTIVE BEHAVIOUR IN DENPASAR

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has constituted concurrent public health and economic crises. An inter-correlation between economic and public health impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic needs to be studied to improve mitigation measures.Aims: This study identified a correlation of the economic insecurity and perceived stress with adherence to recommended preventive behaviours Methods: This across-sectional analytic study was conducted to adults in the working areas of East Denpasar Primary Healthcare Center I. Respondents were selected using consecutive sampling and given a self-administered questionnaire. The research variables included demographic characteristics, economic insecurity indicators, perceived stress, and adherence to handwashing, mask-wearing, physical distancing, and limitation on the social gathering. Correlations, linear regressions, and path analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 23.0.Results: As many as 161 respondents of which 34.2% males were involved had a mean age of 36.31 (± 7.16) years. Sex, job insecurity, income insecurity, and perceived stress were found as independent determinants in females. Female sex and job insecurity was associated with better preventive behaviours with an adjusted β value of 0.276 and 0.306, while income insecurity and perceived stress had the opposite association with a β value of -0.247 and -0.224.Conclusion: There are correlations between economic insecurity and preventive behavioural practices during COVID-19. It is suggested that public health policies against COVID-19 cover measures of economic safety nets to improve adherenceKeywords: behaviour, COVID-19, economic insecurity, perceived stress, prevention.

Time Management and Self-Organisation in Academia

To succeed in academia requires excellent professional skills and also effective self-organisation that integrates research, teaching, and administration into a balanced life. This book offers adapted tools for time management and explains scholarly project management, stress prevention, and life planning. Its practical questions and exercises lead to a personalised approach to the challenges of an academic career.

The Prevention of Occupational Heat Stress in Sugarcane Workers in Nicaragua—An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Background: Chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin (CKDnt) is an ongoing epidemic that has taken the lives of tens of thousands of people in Mesoamerica, also affecting other tropical geographies. Occupational heat stress, which will increase worldwide as climate change persists, has been identified as a primary trigger of kidney injury and reduced renal function. At Nicaragua's largest sugarcane mill, the water, rest, and shade (WRS) intervention has proven to reduce the risk of heat stress and kidney injury effectively as assessed by the research and policy NGO La Isla Network (LIN) and their academic partners, who have worked with the sugar mill to improve the design of their intervention system. However, discrepancies between intervention design and implementation have been found. This study explores the perceptions of the WRS intervention in the company from the perspective of positions responsible for the workers' environment and heat stress prevention implementation.Methods: A qualitative design was used in the study. Twenty-one key informants of low and middle management, field assistants, and two members from LIN took part in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Interviews' transcriptions were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).Results: Four main themes were developed in the analysis of the data: “A worthwhile struggle,” “Culture of care”, “Traditional production culture Vs. Culture of care,” and “The importance of the formalization of care.” Each theme contained sub-themes, all of which were further discussed in the light of organizational psychology.Conclusion and Implications: Discretionary differences resulting in low and middle management prioritizing production over health protection appeared to relate to a fair part of the implementation challenges and indicate that more efforts are needed to align operations' production and health goals. Education enhancement might be necessary, while further focus on health metrics for performance assessment might offer an opportunity to level perceived incentives and value of health and production.

Workplace stress of occupational safety specialists in Croatia and Serbia

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that work often causes stress in employees and even in occupational safety experts. Occupational stress can lead to serious health consequences for employees. As the job of occupational safety experts is very responsible, they are more exposed to workplace stress and more vulnerable to its consequences. This study resulted with expertise on the work related stress of safety experts in Croatia and Serbia. OBJECTIVE: This study examined workplace stress of occupational safety experts in Croatia and Serbia. METHODS: Surveys were used to collect original data and statistical methods were used for data processing and analysis. RESULTS: There was a correlation between the level of stress on safety expert’s jobs and stress levels related to the status of safety experts as dependent variables and the organization profile related with safety experts’ employment as independent variables. Stress of safety experts related to activities and the status of safety experts were of medium level. CONCLUSION: There is a need for preventive protection from stress in this profession. Continuous education of safety experts plays a key role in stress prevention, not only for the safety experts but it also plays a key role in stress management throughout the organization.

INFLUENCE OF STRESSING FACTORS ON THE ACTIVITY OF BACHELORS OF BIOLOGY DURING PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE IN EDUCATIONAL WORK

The article considers the organization and conduction of practice in educational work, which is an important part of the bachelors’ preparation system for the implementation of educational work in secondary education establishments.The article reveals the content of pedagogical practice in educational work, which provides acquaintance of higher education seekers with the purpose and tasks of practice, its program, features of drawing up the individual work plan, registration of the reporting documentation, performance activity which character corresponds to a training profile; studying the experience of teachers, the formation of skills to plan and conduct extracurricular educational activities with students and in groups of children’s associations.An analysis of the latest scientific and pedagogical sources and identification of unresolved issues on the topic was held. An analysis of stressors that affect bachelors of biology during the pedagogical practice of educational work was held. Ways and means of professional stress prevention and its overcoming were offered.Stressogenic factors, causes, and consequences of the stress of the future specialist during the practice of educational work were analyzed, its content was revealed, the peculiarities of the organization to overcome stress factors were highlighted.It was found that stress factors during the practice of educational work include: excessive excitement during educational activities with children, the need to work with a large audience of children with different abilities, level of biological training, insufficient public speaking skills, the need to work independently in wildlife lodgement.It is concluded that overcoming these stressors helps the appropriate organization of the educational process of higher education establishments, support from teachers and practice teachers, performing exercises to relieve emotional stress if necessary.