护士职业压力与职业倦怠的相关性研究

目的:了解护士职业压力、职业倦怠现状;探讨两者之间的关系。方法:方便抽样,抽取哈尔滨市5所三级医院的468名护士进行问卷调查。采用护士一般情况调查表、护士工作压力源量表、职业倦怠量表进行调查。结果:护士职业倦怠程度为中等,去人格化属于中度倦怠,情感衰竭、低成就感程度达到了高度倦怠;职业压力得分为87.56±20.43,以工作量及时间分配维度压力最高,病人护理维度压力最低。情感耗竭与除工作环境及资源之外的职业压力维度呈显著正相关;去人格化与职业压力各维度均呈显著正相关;低成就感与职业压力中护理专业及工作、病人护理呈显著负相关(P0.05)。护士职业压力各维度对其职业倦怠的3个维度均有较好的预测作用,尤其对护士情感耗竭的解释程度达25.5%。结论:护士职业倦怠现象不容忽视,护理管理者有针对性的对护士进行管理,鼓励护士加强自身修养、学会自我疏导,适当授权等是降低护士职业倦怠的正性激励措施。     

RALBA: a computation-aware load balancing scheduler for cloud computing

Cloud computing serves as a platform for remote users to utilize the heterogeneous resources in data-centers to compute High-Performance Computing jobs. The physical resources are virtualized in Cloud to entertain user services employing Virtual Machines (VMs). Job scheduling is deemed as a quintessential part of Cloud and efficient utilization of VMs by Cloud Service Providers demands an optimal job scheduling heuristic. An ideal scheduling heuristic should be efficient, fair, and starvation-free to produce a reduced makespan with improved resource utilization. However, static heuristics often lead to inefficient and poor resource utilization in the Cloud. An idle and underutilized host machine in Cloud still consumes up to 70% of the energy required by an active machine (Ray, in Indian J Comput Sci Eng 1(4):333–339, 2012). Consequently, it demands a load-balanced distribution of workload to achieve optimal resource utilization in Cloud. Existing Cloud scheduling heuristics such as Min–Min, Max–Min, and Sufferage distribute workloads among VMs based on minimum job completion time that ultimately causes a load imbalance. In this paper, a novel Resource-Aware Load Balancing Algorithm (RALBA) is presented to ensure a balanced distribution of workload based on computation capabilities of VMs. The RABLA framework comprises of two phases: (1) scheduling based on computing capabilities of VMs, and (2) the VM with earliest finish time is selected for jobs mapping. The outcomes of the RALBA have revealed that it provides substantial improvement against traditional heuristics regarding makespan, resource utilization, and throughput.     

Validity of a Job-Exposure Matrix for Psychosocial Job Stressors: Results from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey

IntroductionA Job Exposure Matrix (JEM) for psychosocial job stressors allows assessment of these exposures at a population level. JEMs are particularly useful in situations when information on psychosocial job stressors were not collected individually and can help eliminate the biases that may be present in individual self-report accounts. This research paper describes the development of a JEM in the Australian context.MethodsThe Household Income Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey was used to construct a JEM for job control, job demands and complexity, job insecurity, and fairness of pay. Population median values of these variables for all employed people (n = 20,428) were used to define individual exposures across the period 2001 to 2012. The JEM was calculated for the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) at the four-digit level, which represents 358 occupations. Both continuous and binary exposures to job stressors were calculated at the 4-digit level. We assessed concordance between the JEM-assigned and individually-reported exposures using the Kappa statistic, sensitivity and specificity assessments. We conducted regression analysis using mental health as an outcome measure.ResultsKappa statistics indicate good agreement between individually-reported and JEM-assigned dichotomous measures for job demands and control, and moderate agreement for job insecurity and fairness of pay. Job control, job demands and security had the highest sensitivity, while specificity was relatively high for the four exposures. Regression analysis shows that most individually reported and JEM measures were significantly associated with mental health, and individually-reported exposures produced much stronger effects on mental health than the JEM-assigned exposures.DiscussionThese JEM-based estimates of stressors exposure provide a conservative proxy for individual-level data, and can be applied to a range of health and organisational outcomes.     

工作倦怠与交通警察生活质量的关系

目的:探讨交通警察工作倦怠与生活质量的关系。方法:采用MBI-GS和生活质量问卷调查了某市185名交通警察,运用相关分析和回归分析处理数据。结果:交通警察的情绪衰竭与其生活质量显著负相关(P<0.01);玩世不恭也与生活质量显著负相关(P<0.01);职业效能与生活质量显著正相关(P<0.05)。结论:降低工作倦怠,可以有效提高交通警察的生活质量。     

The role of stress and level of burnout in job performance among nurses

Nurses' empathy for and connection with patients demonstrates core professional values which are essential but, consequently, attract certain factors capable of inducing stress. Studies of the roles and responsibilities associated with nursing have implicated multiple and conflicting demands which might not be without some resultant effects. However, little research has been conducted on these work characteristics in developing economies to determine how these might impact the nurse employees' performance. There is need for evidence-based empirical findings to facilitate improvement in healthcare services. This study examined stress and level of burnout among Nigerian nurses (n = 2245) who were selected using stratified random sampling. The participants were measured using an 'abridged measures booklet' adopted from the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Job Autonomy Questionnaire (JAQ), Questionnaire on Organisational Stress-Doetinchem (VOS-D) and Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS). The roles of work-home interference (WHI) and home-work interference (HWI), with respect to work characteristics and burnout (paying special attention to gender), were examined. Analyses using t-tests and linear regression showed no gender differences in burnout levels among Nigerian nurses, who experience medium to high levels of emotional exhaustion, medium levels of depersonalisation and high levels of personal accomplishment. WHI and HWI were found to mediate the relationship between work characteristics and burnout. The meditational relationship differs between genders. This study calls for further research into gender and burnout among the caring professions, especially in under-developed and developing economies of the world.     

工作倦怠与交通警察生活质量的关系

目的：探讨交通警察工作倦怠与生活质量的关系。方法：采用MBI-GS和生活质量问卷调查了某市185名交通警察,运用相关分析和回归分析处理数据。结果：交通警察的情绪衰竭与其生活质量显著负相关（P〈0.01）;玩世不恭也与生活质量显著负相关（P〈0.01）;职业效能与生活质量显著正相关（P〈0.05）。结论：降低工作倦怠,可以有效提高交通警察的生活质量。     

Ecological ranges and types of rarity in the Kuznetsk Alatau of some <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saussurea</Emphasis> DC. species

An analysis of indicator values of four Saussurea DC. species, S. baicalensis (Adams) B. L. Rob., S. frolowii Ledeb., S. salicifolia (L.) DC., and S. schanginiana (Wydl.) Fisch. ex Serg., have been carried out by the method of indicator scales of soil moisture and nutrient availability and salinity in more than 1600 relevés. The size of their ecological ranges and the values of their competitiveness in phytocenoses are determined. As a result of a comparison of the locality of local populations within the ecological range and their occurrence, the vulnerability of S. baicalensis, S. frolowii, S. salicifolia, and S. schanginiana in the Kuznetsk Alatau is evaluated. The types of rarity for these species in the Kuznetsk Alatau are determined.     

Regulation of isoprene synthase promoter by environmental and internal factors

Isoprene synthase (ISPS) catalyzes the formation of isoprene, an important volatile terpenoid with strong effects on global atmospheric chemistry and protective physiological functions in plant leaves. Many terpene synthase genes including isoprene synthase, a member of the TPS-b cluster of this numerous gene family, were already functionally analysed but much less is known about regulation of their promoters. To study regulation of the PcISPS gene in detail we developed transgenic Grey poplar (Populus × canescens) and Arabidopsis thaliana plants in which the PcISPS promoter is fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (E-GFP) and β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter genes. We analysed these reporters during plant development, for organ specificity and in plants subjected to different light and temperature regimes. We observed low promoter activity in non-isoprene emitting tissue like roots where ISPS gene is transcribed but no active enzyme is detectable. In leaves we demonstrate that light and temperature directly modulate ISPS promoter activity. Moreover, with confocal laser scanning microscopy we show a cell specific gradient of ISPS promoter activity within the leaf parenchyma depending on light direction. Our results indicate that ISPS promoter activity, which correlates with basal isoprene emission capacity, is not uniformly distributed within leaf tissue and that it can adapt rapidly towards internal as well as external environmental stimuli.     

Occupational Stress in Veterinary Nurses: Roles of the Work Environment and Own Companion Animal

ABSTRACT

Veterinary nursing has been identified as an occupation at risk for occupational stress and burnout, but a better understanding of job stressors and influencing factors is needed. The aim of this study was to examine occupational stress in a veterinary nursing population based on established work stress theories. This study sought to determine which environmental aspects of the work situation may be detrimental to well-being and which factors may operate to reduce job stress. A sample of South Australian veterinary nurses (n = 127) completed a postal questionnaire about their work environment (job demands and control, work social supports) and their psychological distress, work burnout, and job satisfaction, with a response rate of 76.5%. The potential influence of attachment to participants' own companion animals was investigated using the Owner Pet Relationship Scale. Hierarchical regressions then explored the contribution to psychological outcomes, of social support at work and attachment to own companion animal, after controlling for work load, exposure to euthanasia, contact with clients, work demands, and work control. While social support at work ameliorated occupational stress, attachment to companion animal was linked to decreased job satisfaction. Supportive interpersonal relations in the workplace have a key role in veterinary nurses' job satisfaction. Management skill training may have a role in the development of more satisfying workplaces for the veterinary nursing sector, which may have implications for the undergraduate and post-registration training of veterinary practice managers.     

Why is algaculture still incipient in Brazil?

Macroalgae represent 26 % of the global production of cultivated organisms, with Gracilaria spp. representing 12 % of that production; Eucheuma spp. and Kappaphycus alvarezii account for 34 % of world’s algae production. Despite the potential for cultivating seaweed in Brazil, and with its more than 8000 km of coastline, there is neither marine algaculture nor detailed knowledge even among aquaculture farmers concerning the utility of algae in agriculture, industry, and gastronomy, with the result that algaculture represents only the smallest fraction of national aquaculture production. The main cultivated species of seaweed sold in Brazil include the exotic K. alvarezii and native species of Gracilaria that are grown on small scales and do not meet national industrial demands, which must be supplemented by imports. We discuss Brazilian algaculture here, pointing out some of the problems that restrict commercial production of algae in that country and offer solutions that could be shared with other nations.     

Chlamydia in canine or feline coronary arteriosclerotic lesions

Background

This study examined the associations of job control, organizational justice and bullying at the workplace with emotional exhaustion. This was done by adjusting firstly for age and occupational class, secondly physical work factors, thirdly mutually adjusting for the three psychosocial factors and fourthly adjusting for all studied variables simultaneously. Data were derived from the Helsinki Health Study baseline surveys conducted in 2001 and 2002, including 40-60-year-old employees of the City of Helsinki (n = 5819, response rate 66%). Exhaustion was measured with a six-item subscale from Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Psychosocial factors included Karasek's job control, organizational justice and bullying at the workplace. Logistic regression analysis was used.

Results

Among women 23% and among men 20% reported symptoms of emotional exhaustion. Among women all psychosocial factors were associated with exhaustion when adjusted for age and occupational class as confounders. When physical work factors were additionally adjusted for, the associations slightly attenuated but remained. When psychosocial work factors were simultaneously adjusted for each other, their associations with exhaustion attenuated but remained. Among men all psychosocial factors were associated with exhaustion when adjusted for confounders only. When adjusted for physical work factors the associations slightly attenuated. When psychosocial factors were simultaneously adjusted for each other, associations of organizational justice and bullying with exhaustion attenuated but remained whereas job control lost its association.

Conclusions

Identifying risk factors for emotional exhaustion is vital for preventing subsequent processes leading to burnout. Psychosocial factors are likely to contribute to exhaustion among female as well as male employees. Thus management and occupational health care should devote more attention to the psychosocial work environment in order to be able to prevent exhaustion and burnout at the workplaces.     

Long-distance dispersal of a wolf, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Canis lupus</Emphasis>, in northwestern Europe

Several mammal species have recolonized their historical ranges across Europe during the last decades. In November 2012, a wolf-looking canid was found dead in Thy National Park (56° 56′ N, 8° 25′ E) in Jutland, Denmark. DNA from this individual and nine German wolves were genotyped using a genome-wide panel of 22,163 canine single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and compared to existing profiles based on the same marker panel obtained from northeastern Polish (n?=?13) wolves, domestic dogs (n?=?13) and known wolf-dog hybrids (n?=?4). The Thy canid was confirmed to be a wolf from the German-western Polish population, approximately 800 km to the southeast. Access to the German reference database on DNA profiles based on 13 autosomal microsatellites of German wolves made it possible to pinpoint the exact pack origin of the Thy wolf in Saxony, Germany. This was the first documented observation of a wolf in Denmark in 200 years and another example of long-distance dispersal of a carnivore.     

Work stress and risk of cardiovascular mortality: prospective cohort study of industrial employees

ObjectiveTo examine the association between work stress, according to the job strain model and the effort-reward imbalance model, and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.DesignProspective cohort study. Baseline examination in 1973 determined cases of cardiovascular disease, behavioural and biological risks, and stressful characteristics of work. Biological risks were measured at 5 year and 10 year follow up.SettingStaff of a company in the metal industry in Finland.Participants812 employees (545 men, 267 women) who were free from cardiovascular diseases at baseline.ResultsMean length of follow up was 25.6 years. After adjustment for age and sex, employees with high job strain, a combination of high demands at work and low job control, had a 2.2-fold (95% confidence interval 1.2 to 4.2) cardiovascular mortality risk compared with their colleagues with low job strain. The corresponding risk ratio for employees with effort-reward imbalance (low salary, lack of social approval, and few career opportunities relative to efforts required at work) was 2.4 (1.3 to 4.4). These ratios remained significant after additional adjustment for occupational group and biological and behavioural risks at baseline. High job strain was associated with increased serum total cholesterol at the 5 year follow up. Effort-reward imbalance predicted increased body mass index at the 10 year follow up.ConclusionsHigh job strain and effort-reward imbalance seem to increase the risk of cardiovascular mortality. The evidence from industrial employees suggests that attention should be paid to the prevention of work stress.

What is already known on this topic

Job strain (high demands and low job control) and effort-reward imbalance (high demands, low security, few career opportunities) elicit stress at workTheir status as risk factors for cardiovascular mortality has, however, remained uncertain

What this study adds

Job strain and effort-reward imbalance were each associated with a doubling of the risk of cardiovascular death among employees who were free from overt cardiovascular diseases at baselineJob strain and effort-reward imbalance also predicted adverse changes in biological factors such as cholesterol concentration and body mass index     

Temporal Variation in Physiological Biomarkers in Black Flying-Foxes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pteropus alecto</Emphasis>), Australia

Bats of the genus Pteropus (Pteropodidae) are recognised as the natural host of multiple emerging pathogenic viruses of animal and human health significance, including henipaviruses, lyssaviruses and ebolaviruses. Some studies have suggested that physiological and ecological factors may be associated with Hendra virus infection in flying-foxes in Australia; however, it is essential to understand the normal range and seasonal variability of physiological biomarkers before seeking physiological associations with infection status. We aimed to measure a suite of physiological biomarkers in P. alecto over time to identify any seasonal fluctuations and to examine possible associations with life-cycle and environmental stressors. We sampled 839 adult P. alecto in the Australian state of Queensland over a 12-month period. The adjusted population means of every assessed hematologic and biochemical parameter were within the reported reference range on every sampling occasion. However, within this range, we identified significant temporal variation in these parameters, in urinary parameters and body condition, which primarily reflected the normal annual life cycle. We found no evident effect of remarkable physiological demands or nutritional stress, and no indication of clinical disease driving any parameter values outside the normal species reference range. Our findings identify underlying temporal physiological changes at the population level that inform epidemiological studies and assessment of putative physiological risk factors driving Hendra virus infection in P. alecto. More broadly, the findings add to the knowledge of Pteropus populations in terms of their relative resistance and resilience to emerging infectious disease.     

Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) of non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli isolated from bloodstream infections in southern Poland

Non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli are now one of the most important causes of severe infections in Polish hospitals. Acinetobacter species are serious concern because of the high prevalence of multi-drug resistance among strains. Resistance profiles for 53 Gram-negative non-fermentative blood isolates were done. MLST was carried out using 44 strains representing the most commonly isolated species: A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, and S. maltophilia. MLST revealed that all 22 A. baumannii belonged to sequence type (ST) 2. The P. aeruginosa isolates belonged to 10 different STs. Four S. maltophilia isolates matched STs present in the database (ST4, ST15, ST116, ST142), seven isolates showing novel sequence types. Among P. aeruginosa and S. maltophilia PFGE confirmed the genetical variety of strains.     

The Impact of Psychological Capital on Job Burnout of Chinese Nurses: The Mediator Role of Organizational Commitment

Background

Nursing has a high risk of job burnout, but only a few studies have explored its influencing factors from an organizational perspective.

Objective

The present study explores the impact of psychological capital on job burnout by investigating the mediating effect of organizational commitment on this relationship.

Methods

A total of 473 female nurses from four large general hospitals in Xi’an City of China were selected as participants. Data were collected via the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey, and the Organizational Commitment Scale.

Results

Both psychological capital and organizational commitment were significantly correlated to job burnout. Structural equation modelling indicated that organizational commitment partially mediated the relationship between psychological capital and job burnout.

Conclusion

The final model revealed a significant path from psychological capital to job burnout through organizational commitment. These findings extended prior reports and shed some light on the influence of psychological capital on job burnout.     

Cadmium Concentration in Human Autopsy Tissues

The concentration of cadmium in human tissues obtained on the basis of autopsies of non-poisoned Polish people (n = 150), aged from 1 to 80 years, examined between 1990 and 2010, is presented. The following values were found in wet digested samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) (mean ± SD, median, and range, μg/g of wet weight): brain 0.020 ± 0.031, 0.084, 0–0.120 (n = 41); stomach 0.148 ± 0.195, 0.084, 0–1.25 (n = 89); small intestine 0.227 ± 0.231, 0.130, 0–0.830 (n = 39); liver 1.54 ± 1.55, 1.01, 0.015–9.65 (n = 99); kidney 16.0 ± 13.2, 14.0, 0.62–61.3 (n = 91); lung 0.304 ± 0.414, 0.130, 0–1.90 (n = 25); and heart 0.137 ± 0.107, 0.140, 0.017–0.250 (n = 4). Additionally, results (n = 13 people, aged from 2 to 83 years, 63 samples) obtained by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) between 2010 and 2015 are given. The obtained data on Cd concentration in the human body can be used to estimate the amounts occurring in “healthy” people and those occurring in cases of chronic or acute poisonings with Cd compounds, which are examined for forensic purposes or to assess environmental exposure levels.