Mental Well-being at Work. A Sign of a Healthy Organisation and a Necessary Precondition for Organisational Development

One of the aims of the study was to clarify the reliability and validity of the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and the Eigenzustand (EZ) method as measures of the objective characteristics of work and short-term mental work load in the Finnish data. The reliability and validity were examined taking into consideration the theoretical backgrounds of the methods and the reliability of the measurements. The methods were used for finding out the preconditions for organisational development based on self-improvement and clarifying the impacts of working environment (organisational functioning and job characteristics) on a worker’s mental state and health. The influences were examined on a general level - regardless of individual personal or specific contextual factors. One aim was also to clarify how cognitions and emotions are intertwined and how they influence a person’s perception of the working environment. The data consisted of 15 blue-collar organisations in the public sector. The organisations were divided in target and comparison groups depending on the research frames. The data was collected by questionnaires by post. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (Lisrel) were used as the main statistical methods in examining the structures of the methods and impacts between the variables. It was shown that it is possible for organisations to develop their working conditions themselves on specific preconditions. The advance of the development processes could be shown by the amount of the development activity as well as by the changes of the mental well-being (ability to act) and sick absenteeism of the personnel. It was found that the JDS and the EZ methods were reliable and valid measures in the Finnish data. It was shown that, in addition to the objective working environment (organisational functioning and job characteristics), also such a personal factor as selfesteem influences a person’s perception of mental work load. However, the influence did not seem to be direct. The importance of job satisfaction as a general indicator of perceived working conditions was emphasised. Emotional and cognitive factors were found to be functionally intertwined constituting a common factor. Organisational functioning and the characteristics of work had connections with a person’s health measured by sick absenteeism.

Effect of trickle irrigation on root development of the wet bulb and 'pera' orange tree yield in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different microirrigation designs on root system distribution in wet bulb region, orange orchard yield and quality of orange fruits. The experiment was installed as random blocks with five treatments and four replicates in an orchard of 'Pêra' orange trees grafted on 'Cleopatra' mandarin rootstock. The treatments consisted of: one drip line (T1), two drip lines (T2), four drip lines (T3) per planting row, microsprinkler irrigation (T4) and without irrigation (T5). Irrigation treatments favored yield and ºBrix. The treatment with a single drip line (T1) showed the greatest quantity of roots in relation to the treatments T2 and T3.

Spatial variability of yield and other parameters associated with pear trees

In the last few years, precision agriculture has become commonly used with many crops, particularly cereals, and there is also interest in precision horticulture. Pear is a seasonal fruit and well appreciated by Brazilian people, although it is mostly imported. Brazilian farmers are nowadays trying to increase pear production. Thus, this research aimed at mapping the yield of pear trees in order to study the spatial variability of yield as well as its comparison with spatial variability of soil and plant attributes. The experimental field had 146 pear trees, variety 'Pêra d'água', distributed on a 1.24 ha. Four harvests were performed according to the fruit ripening and from each tree; only the ripe fruits were harvested. In each harvest, all the fruits were weighed and the total yield was obtained based on the sum of each harvest. The soil attributes analyzed were P, K, Ca, Mg, pH in CaCl2, C, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn and base saturation, and the plant attributes were fruit length, diameter and yield. Yield had low correlation with soil and plant attributes. An index of spatial variability was suggested in this study and helped in classifying levels of spatial dependence of the various soil and plant attributes: very low (fruit length); low (P, fruit diameter), medium (Mg, pH, Cu, Zn, Fe), high (Ca, K, base saturation and yield), and very high (Mn and C).

Irrigation management in pruned coffee tree crop

It was evaluated the effect of irrigation management on the production characteristics of coffee cultivar Acaiá MG-1474, planted in spacing of 3.00 m x 0.60 m, pruned in 2004, and irrigated by drip since the planting, in 1997. The experimental designed used was of randomized blocks with five treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of irrigation management strategies, applying or not applying controlled moisture deficit in layer of 0 to 0.4m, in dry seasons of the year: A = no irrigation (control), B = irrigation during all year considering the factor of water availability in the soil (f) equal to 0.75, C = irrigation during all year considering f = 0.25, D = irrigation during all year, but in January /February /March /July /October /November /December with f = 0.25 and April /May /June /August /September with f = 0.75, E = irrigation only during April /May /June /August /September with f = 0.25. From July /2005 to June /2007 the applied water depth was defined based on Class A pan evaporation (ECA) and the period from July/2007 to June/2008 based on readings of matric potential of soil obtained from Watermark® sensors. Each plot consisted of three rows with ten plants per row, considering as useful plot five plants of center line. The results indicated that the E irrigation management was the most suitable for technical reasons.

Technical and economic indicators of the yellow passion fruit tree irrigated with underground water supply

The research aimed to quantify technical and economic indicators of yellow passion fruit tree irrigated with fractions of irrigation with underground source of water, to generate information that helps farmers in decision making on the implementation of investment in irrigated fruit growing (yellow passion fruit). For this purpose, we used the passion fruit crop irrigated with Microjet type irrigation system, with conducting system in simple espaliers. The treatments consisted of five hours of application of the depth of water required by the crop with irrigation frequency of two days. The results showed that the highest yield (16660kg ha-1) was obtained with the fractionation of irrigation twice a day (50% to 7h and 50% to 21h30), which provided an increase in productivity of 54%, demonstrating the financial viability and being highly profitable to the interest rate of 2% per year, with low sensitivity of financial risk to real interest rates above the prevailing market.

Water requirement and yield of fig trees under different drip irrigation management

This work aimed to study the effect of drip irrigation management on growth and yield of the 'Roxo de Valinhos' fig tree (Ficus carica L.), at three years old, and to determine crop coefficients (Kc) and its water requirement (ETc) under Baixada Fluminense climate and soil conditions, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study was carried out in the experimental area of SIPA (Sistema Integrado de Produção Agroecológica) in Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro State, from July 2011 to May 2012. The experimental area was divided in two blocks, named B1 (sandy clay loam texture) and B2 (loamy sand texture). In each block, irrigation frequencies (IF) of two (T1) and four days (T2) were evaluated, as well as the irrigation absence (T3). Irrigation management and water consumption determination were performed through the soil water balance, using the TDR technique. Plant growth was not affected by IF, differing only in the number of produced internodes. For both soil textures, the mean Kc was 0.60, with a significant difference (p<0.05) only for IF. The estimated mean yield showed no significant differences between both textural classes, ranging from 6,612 kg ha-1 (T3) to 8,554 kg ha-1 (T1). This study indicates the importance of irrigation frequency in the irrigation management of fig trees cultivated in soils with different physical characteristics.

Istoadenoma do ducto biliar comum

Biliary duct cystoadenomas are rare neoplasms, with about 120 cases described in the literature, including cystoadenomas and cystoadenocarcinomas. The authors report a case of cystoadenoma of the common bile duct in a 45-year-old woman with history of jaundice. Ultrasound revealed a cystic mass located in the common bile duct. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed a negative filling defect in the proximal third of the common bile duct, a finding unique to our case. Total excision of the mass, cholecystectomy and an end-total anastomosis with a T-tube choledochostomy, were performed. Histological examination revealed a multicystic lesion with cavities lined by mucinous columnar non-ciliated epithelium, with surrounding densely cellular stroma resembling ovarian stroma. Six years after surgery the patient is alive and well, with no complains referring to the hepatobiliary tract. No abnormalities are presently detected in the biliary tree, ultrasonographically.

Tratamento cirúrgico do schwannoma traqueal

Schwannoma is a rare benign tumor of the proximal tracheobronchial tree. The aim of the present study is to report a case of tracheal schwannoma causing airway obstruction. A 16-year-old woman complained of cough, wheezing and dyspneia. Bronchoscopy and computerized tomography showed a polypoide intratracheal mass obstructing approximately 80% of the lumen. The treatment consisted of tracheal resection and primary anastomosis. Histological analysis revealed a tracheal schwannoma. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient remains well twelve months after surgery.

Strategy for 2012–2015 : The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment create sustainable well-being

ELY Centres strategy brocshure.

Dispersal and metacommunity dynamics in a soft-sediment benthic system : how well is the seafloor connected?

Connectivity depends on rates of dispersal between communities. For marine soft-sediment communities continued small-scale dispersal as post-larvae and as adults can be equally important in maintaining community composition, as initial recruitment of substrate by pelagic larvae. In this thesis post-larval dispersal strategies of benthic invertebrates, as well as mechanisms by which communities are connected were investigated. Such knowledge on dispersal is scarce, due to the difficulties in actually measuring dispersal directly in nature, and dispersal has not previously been quantified in the Baltic Sea. Different trap-types were used underwater to capture dispersing invertebrates at different sites, while in parallel measuring waves and currents. Local community composition was found to change predictably under varying rates of dispersal and physical connectivity (waves and currents). This response was, however, dependent on dispersal-related traits of taxa. Actively dispersing taxa will be relatively better at maintaining their position, as they are not as dependent on hydrodynamic conditions for dispersal and will be less prone to be passively transported by currents. Taxa also dispersed in relative proportions that were distinctly different from resident community composition and a significant proportion (40 %) of taxa were found to lack a planktonic larval life-stage. Community assembly was re-started in a large-scale manipulative field experiment over one year across several sites, which revealed how patterns of community composition (α-, β- and λ-diversity) change depending on rates of dispersal. Results also demonstrated that in response to small-scale disturbance, initial recruitment was by nearby-dominant species after which other species arrived from successively further away. At later assembly time, the number of coexisting species increased beyond what was expected purely by local niche requirements (species sorting), transferring regional differences in community composition (β-diversity) to the local scale (α-diversity, mass effect). Findings of this thesis complement more theoretical studies in metacommunity ecology by demonstrating that understanding how and when individuals disperse relative to underlying environmental heterogeneity is key to interpreting how patterns of diversity change across different spatial scales. Such information from nature is critical when predicting responses to, for example, different types of disturbances or management actions in conservation.