Changes in excretion rates of stress hormones in medical staff exposed to electromagnetic radiation

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) on the excretion rates of stress hormones of medical staff in physiotherapy. The excretion rates of stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline were followed during morning shift in 15 female physiotherapists using RIA kits and a spectrofluorimetric method. The mean number of treatments with EMR emitting devices per month and the emission of each device was assessed. A control group of nurses, matched by age, sex and work task was used. The psychosocial factors were evaluated and no differences between the two groups was found. Calculations of the individual EMR exposure show levels above the ICNIRP guidelines. Significantly higher excretion rates of cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline among the studied physiotherapists in comparison with the control group of nurses were found. In conclusion, our data showed that EMR influenced the excretion rates of stress hormones of medical staff in physiotherapy.     

Pointing accuracy in children is dependent on age, sex and experience

We investigated the influence of age, sex and familiarity on spatial performance assessed with a pointing task in 84 children: 21 kindergartners, 21 first-graders, 21 fifth-graders and 21 sixth-graders. Spatial performance was assessed in the children's natural environment, their respective school or kindergarten. The children had to indicate the direction of prominent landmarks on the school campus while sitting in their classroom, drawing an arrow on a sheet of paper. Since the children had spent different amounts of time at their respective schools, experience with the environment was regarded as a covariate.Data analysis revealed significant effects for age, sex and experience. Fifth-graders aged around 10 years outperformed the younger children. Sex differences revealed male superiority at all ages. Experience with the environment was also shown to play a vital role. Children who had spent a longer time at the school were able to demonstrate better spatial knowledge by pointing more accurately towards unseen landmarks.     

The transition from home to boarding school: a diary-style analysis of the problems and worries of boarding school pupils

The investigation concerns the impact of the new school environment on a group of 50 male and female children aged 11–16 years, who leave home to reside temporarily at boarding school, in terms of the characteristics of problems and worries reported and the incidence of spontaneous reports of homesickness. More problems relating to the school than to the home environment were reported but proportionally more worry units were reported associated with home problems for both males and females. There was no sex differences in this respect. The reported level of spontaneously reported homesickness was 16% and there were no sex differences. Factors such as age, geographical distance of move and decision to go away to school were not influential in determining the level of reported problems or incidence of spontaneous reports of homesickness. A relationship was found with level of problems reported and recent life history but the result proved difficult to interpret.     

The relationship between daylight and happiness for women in residential districts of Isfahan,Iran

This study explores the relationship between daylight exposure in urban residential units and the mood/happiness of nonworking female residents (housewives) in Isfahan, Iran. A growing body of evidence points to the physiological and psychological benefits of daylight, yet few studies have focused on the relationship between residential daylight and women's mental health. A cross‐sectional study was conducted using two‐stage random cluster sampling of nonworking female occupants of buildings in four residential districts. Mood/happiness was determined using the Oxford Happiness Inventory and the Fordyce Happiness Inventory. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the variables. A significant relationship was found between residents’ happiness and the amount of daylight in their residential units (Oxford Inventory, r = 0.68, P < 0.05; Fordyce Inventory, r = 0.53, P < 0.05). The findings suggest that features of physical residential environments, such as daylight, may be linked to the happiness of housewives. Persons belonging to various demographic groups who spend the majority of their time indoors (e.g., housewives, children, elderly individuals, and people with disabilities) are most dependent on architecture and environmental design for their well‐being, and therefore, are most affected by design decisions.     

Assessment of outdoor school environments and physical activity in Ankara's primary schools

Outdoor school environments are sites for play and physical activity for many children, and shortcomings within these environments are considered significant factors that contribute to children's inactive lifestyles and high levels of childhood obesity. This study explores the associations between the physical characteristics of schoolyards and the physical activity of third and fourth year students in five Turkish primary schools. Data were collected through multiple methods, including behavior mapping of student activities during recess, physical assessments of schoolyards, and interviews with students, teachers and administrations. The findings show similarities in the landscape features and physical qualities of schoolyards, particularly in the types of play and activities in which students engage. Results indicated that active students who walk to and from schools have lower body mass index (BMI) values than passive students, and students in schools with larger yards have lower BMI values. Most of the students prefer spacious and vegetated yards. A major concern is the crowdedness of the yards during recess that limit children's activity. Schoolyards with advanced landscape features are preferred more, and this in turn affects students’ positive satisfaction. Outdoor school environments have a correlation to health outcomes and should be designed to promote more activity. Improving the physical and landscape qualities of the public schoolyards should be the primary concern of the designers in order to increase awareness of natural environment and more important, increase the health of children.     

Vegetation and outdoor recess time at elementary schools: What are the connections?

Empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests that landscapes with more vegetation have a positive impact on children's focus, attention, and cognitive development. In school, children are able to regain focus, suppress impulses, and pay attention in class longer after exposure to natural settings. Because children spend much of their time in school, the amount and types of vegetation on school grounds may influence their development. Public elementary schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia (N = 988) were surveyed to examine correlations between school ground vegetation and outside recess. The number of trees on school grounds, the size of the school grounds, and the presence of sports fields were modestly correlated with greater outside recess time. These correlations support common sense because sports fields facilitate supervised play and larger school grounds provide space for sports fields and playgrounds and additional opportunities for free play. More trees on school grounds provide a welcoming environment for students and teachers, and encourage outside play. These results may help school personnel design and maintain school grounds that increase outdoor recess time.     

Surrounded by Chemical Valley and ‘living in a bubble’: the case of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation,Ontario

This study examines the perceptions and coping strategies of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, which is surrounded by ‘Chemical Valley’, the largest complex of petrochemical plants in Canada. Analysis of in-depth interviews showed that residents perceive ‘Mother Earth to be sick’; however, a strong level of community cohesion prevails, with ‘place’ as a significant anchor to the culture and history of the community. Residents articulated a collective sense of responsibility for the well-being of members both within and surrounding the community, whereby some residents would never leave, regardless of the toxic environment and concern for high rates of cancer and respiratory diseases among both adults and children. Residents employed action-focused coping strategies such as ‘indoor evacuation’ and the ‘Cop-sniff test’, and emotional coping strategies including blocking out the effects of ‘Chemical Valley’ by frequently ignoring warning sirens from industry. The results call on the need for a collaborative environmental planning intervention involving clear community participation. Findings suggest the need for an indoor recreational facility for both children and adults, and a graded warning system.     

Lighting and discomfort in the classroom

Aspects of classroom lighting and décor that can promote discomfort and impair task performance through glare, and imperceptible 100 Hz flicker from fluorescent lighting, were examined in a sample of UK schools. In 90 classrooms, across eleven secondary schools and six local education authorities variables measured included flicker, illuminance at desks, and luminance of whiteboards. Results showed that 80% of classrooms are lit with 100 Hz fluorescent lighting that can cause headaches and impair visual performance. Mean illuminance (from excessive day- and artificial lighting) was in excess of recommended design illuminance in 88% of classrooms, and in 84% exceeded levels beyond which visual comfort decreases. Lighting could not be adequately controlled due to classroom design and infrastructure. Ceiling-mounted data-projectors directed at whiteboards mounted vertically on the wall resulted in specular reflection from the whiteboard, visible as a glare spot with luminance high enough to cause discomfort and disability glare. The intensity of the glare spot varied between different brands of whiteboard. Ambient lighting, needed for close work at pupils' desks, reduced image contrast. Venetian blinds in 23% of classrooms had spatial characteristics appropriate for inducing pattern glare. There was significant variation between schools and local authorities. These findings may provide insights into small-scale reports linking pupils' attainment, behaviour and learning to classroom lighting, and may also help explain some of the benefits of coloured overlays for pupils' reading.     

Determinants of noise annoyance in teachers from schools with different classroom reverberation times

A high proportion of school teachers report that they are disturbed by noise during teaching. The aim of the study was therefore to identify determinants of self-reported noise exposure and disturbance attributed to noise among secondary school teachers (n = 419) in 10 schools in Copenhagen, Denmark. The schools were selected to show contrasts in classroom reverberation times (RT), and were classified as “Short RT” (3 schools, mean RT 0.41–0.45 s), “Medium RT” (3 schools, mean RT 0.51–0.55 s) and “Long RT” (4 schools, mean RT 0.62–0.73 s). Significant determinants of self-reported noise exposure were a high number of children in the class, young age of the children, and low teacher seniority. “Long RT” classification was of borderline significance. Significant determinants of disturbance attributed to noise from children in the class were teacher seniority and “Long RT” acoustic classification of the school. The associations between work characteristics and noise disturbance measures were attenuated by low self-rated work capacity, suggesting that the consequences of noise and poor acoustics may not be limited to disturbance attributed to noise, but may have a wide negative impact on the perceived working environment.     

An inequality study of ambient nitrogen dioxide and traffic levels near elementary schools in the Tampa area

Environmental equity has been identified as a challenge and goal of national to global air quality management. Here, relationships between traffic-related air pollution measures and the social demographics of elementary schools are investigated. Ogawa passive samplers were used to measure ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) levels near 75 randomly selected elementary schools in the county containing Tampa, FL over one week in March 2008. Concentrations were determined using colorimetric reaction using Hach nitrite reagent and photometric detection at 545 nm. NO(2) levels, two metrics of traffic (highest annual average daily traffic count within 500 m and 1000 m), and school enrollment data by demographic subgroup (racial/ethnic and socioeconomic) were then compared. Data were analyzed for distribution statistics, linear correlations, and differences in subgroup category means. Weighted average values of NO(2) and traffic count were also calculated for each subgroup. All measured NO(2) levels were low, with a mean of 2.7 ppbv and range from 0.8 to 4.7 ppbv. Values were largest at sites near downtown. Results from all analyses show comparatively higher potential exposures to measured NO(2) and traffic count for black school children, and lower values for white and Asian or Pacific Islander school children. The economically disadvantaged and Hispanic subgroups were also associated with higher levels of NO(2) and traffic counts, but the relationship was not as strong or robust. Although measured NO(2) levels were low and the differences between groups are small, results suggest disparities by racial/ethnic and economic status in children's exposures to air pollution for the Tampa area.     

Territorial Recognition and Control of Changes in Dynamic Rural Areas: Analysis of the Naturbanization Process in Andalusia,Spain

This paper analyses new dynamics in rural areas of Andalusia belonging to protected environments. These dynamics relate to demographic developments that have taken place over the past 20 years, and their repercussions on changes in the use of land and regional planning in a wider context. The author calls this process 'naturbanization', building on the work of Berry and Champion on the concept of counterurbanization. Whilst most of the work on demographic movements and restructuring in rural areas is based on the trends set by city dwellers, this work aims to show the importance of environmental conditions on human behaviour and how this can have medium and long-term repercussions on the population dynamics of rural areas in Andalusia. The main results of this study show clear evidence of a nature urbanization process, as measured by a relative population development, in rural areas where protected natural areas are present. However, there are also clear differences in the population growth rates that support the presence of a naturbanization process between natural parks. In the protected natural areas situated in inland locations, population growth rates have generally been lagging behind while the protected areas situated nearer to the coast have proved to be more attractive to migration and have experienced a positive population development in the 1981‐2001 period. Apparently, the presence of protected nature is not the only factor determining the attractiveness of a rural area as a place to live. The naturbanization in rural areas can have negative implications for the ecological, landscape and social values of rural areas and therefore needs careful policy attention.     

Educational issues, school settings, and environmental psychology

This paper reviews selected research on classroom and school environments, using a framework that views schools from three perspectives—as places for learning, as places for socialization and as places for psychological development. Studies are included that deal with the impact of noise and classroom design on learning; the relationship between seating position, achievement and status; spatial cognition; the classroom environment and sex role stereotyping; privacy; and density. The need for classrooms to enhance children's feelings of competence, security and self-esteem is also stressed. The goal of the paper is to point out ways in which environmental psychologists can contribute to the improvement of the educational system and to the quality of life in schools.     

The social consequences of a natural/technological disaster: evidence from Louisiana and Mississippi

Disaster scholarship shows that people’s relationships stay the same or improve after natural disasters and become worse after technological, or human-induced, events. Using the case of Katrina, this research explores what happens to people’s relationships after a disaster that began with a catastrophic natural event and was followed by numerous failures in the way human institutions responded to the event. Through an analysis of survey data collected in devastated areas of Louisiana and Mississippi in 2008, this study tests how consequences of both natural (damage to the home and having to leave the home) and technological events (distrust in government, stress, concern about toxic exposure, and pursuing litigation) affect people’s relationships with family members and community groups. Damage to the home, distrust in government, and the pursuit of litigation lead to declines in people’s relationships. These experiences are more likely to change intimate relationships (with family) than relationships in the broader community. The relevance that these findings have for creating better social justice outcomes after future disasters is discussed.     

ERRORS RELATED TO RANDOM STREAM TEMPERATURE DATA COLLECTION IN UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER WATERSHED1

ABSTRACT: Records of hourly water temperatures for two streams in the Upper Mississippi River basin were used to find the error between instantaneous measurements of stream water temperatures and true daily averages. The instantaneous summer water temperature measurements were assumed to be collected during daylight hours, and measurement times were selected randomly. The absolute error at the 95 percent confidence level of randomly collected stream water temperatures was less than 0.9°C for a 1 to 5m deep large river, but as large as 3.6°C for a 0.3 to lm deep small stream. Temperature readings of morning samples were usually below daily average values, and afternoon readings were usually above. Daily mean water temperatures were obtained with less than 0.23°C standard deviation from true daily averages if the daily maximum and minimum water temperatures were averaged. Sample results were obtained for the open water (summer) season only, since diurnal water temperature fluctuations in ice covered streams are usually negligible.     

河西走廊的农业资源与集约化生产结构

通过对甘肃省河西走廊农业自然资源优势的分析,本文讨论了光热资源和水资源潜力的开发利用,提出用高新技术手段建立集约化的半闭路式生态农业生产体系,促进河西走廊农业再上新台阶．     

Indoor air quality investigation according to age of the school buildings in Korea

Since the majority of schools are housed in buildings dating from the 1960s and 1970s, a comprehensive construction and renovation program of school buildings has been carried out to improve the educational conditions in Korea. However, classrooms and computer rooms, with pressed wood desks, chairs and furnishings, as well as construction materials, might have negative effects on the indoor air quality. Furthermore, most schools have naturally ventilated classrooms. The purpose of this study was to characterize the concentrations of different indoor air pollutants within Korean schools and to compare their indoor levels within schools according to the age of school buildings. Indoor and outdoor air samples of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO(2)), particulate matter (PM(10)), total microbial count (TBC), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) and formaldehyde (HCHO) were obtained during summer, autumn and winter from three sites; a classroom, a laboratory and a computer classroom at 55 different schools. The selection of the schools was based on the number of years since the schools had been constructed. The problems causing indoor air pollution at the schools were chemicals emitted by building materials or furnishings, and insufficient ventilation rates. The I/O ratio for HCHO was 6.32 during the autumn, and the indoor HCHO concentrations (mean = 0.16 ppm) in schools constructed within 1 year were significantly higher than the Korean Indoor Air Standard, indicating that schools have indoor sources of HCHO. Therefore, increasing the ventilation rate by means of a mechanical system and the use of low-emission furnishings can play key roles in improving the indoor air quality within schools.     

Seedling Biomass Partition and Water Use Efficiency of Switchgrass and Milkvetch in Monocultures and Mixtures in Response to Various Water Availabilities

Seedling biomass and allocation, transpiration water use efficiency (TWUE), and species competition between switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and milkvetch (Astragalus adsurgens Pall.) were investigated in a pot-cultivated experiment under different levels of water availability. The experiment was conducted using a simple replacement design in which switchgrass and milkvetch were grown in growth chamber with ten seedlings per pot, in three combinations of the two species (0:10, 5:5 and 10:0). Five water treatments included sufficient water supply (HW), gradual soil drying from HW (DHW), moderate water stress (LW), gradual soil drying from LW (DLW), and re-establishment of LW conditions after 12 days of drying from LW (RLW). Water treatments were applied over a 15-day period. Biomass production and its partitioning, and TWUE were determined at the end of the experiment. Species competitive indices (competitive ratio (CR), aggressivity (A) and relative yield total (RYT)) were calculated from the biomass dry weight data for shoots, roots and total biomass. Water stress significantly reduced seedling biomass production but increased root:shoot ratios in both monocultures and mixtures. In the RLW treatment, only switchgrass monocultures displayed compensatory biomass production and TWUE, while both species demonstrated compensatory growth in the mixture. Switchgrass was the dominant species and much more aggressive than milkvetch in the LW treatment, while in the other four treatments milkvetch was the dominant species as measured by the positive value of aggressivity and higher values of CR. The total biomass RYT values of the two species were higher than 1.0, indicating some degree of resource complimentarity. In the two-species mixture, although the biomass production was lower than that of milkvetch in the monoculture, there was better TWUE, especially under low and fluctuating water availability.     

Experimental and Ecological Implications of Evening Bird Surveys in Stream-Riparian Ecosystems

Stream-riparian ecosystems are dynamic and complex entities that can support high levels of bird assemblage abundance and diversity. The myriad patches (e.g., aquatic, floodplain, riparian) found in the riverscape habitat mosaic attract a unique mixture of aquatic, semiaquatic, riparian, and upland birds, each uniquely utilizing the river corridor. Whereas standard morning bird surveys are widely used across ecosystems, the variety of bird guilds and the temporal habitat partitioning that likely occur in stream-riparian ecosystems argue for the inclusion of evening surveys. At 41 stream reaches in Vermont and Idaho, USA, we surveyed bird assemblages using a combination of morning and evening fixed-width transect counts. Student’s paired t-tests showed that while bird abundance was not significantly different between morning and evening surveys, bird assemblage diversity (as measured by species richness, Shannon-Weiner’s index, and Simpson’s index) was significantly higher in the morning than in the evening. NMS ordinations of bird species and time (i.e., morning, evening) indicated that the structure of morning bird assemblages was different from that of evening assemblages. NMS further showed that a set of species was only found in evening surveys. The inclusion of evening counts in surveying bird assemblages in stream-riparian ecosystems has important experimental and ecological implications. Experimentally, the sole use of morning bird surveys may significantly underestimate the diversity and misrepresent the community composition of bird assemblages in these ecosystems. Ecologically, many of the birds detected in evening surveys were water-associated species that occupy high trophic levels and aerial insectivores that represent unique aquatic-terrestrial energy transfers.     

Noise annoyance responses of middle school pupils and teachers

The present survey study had three aims: (1) to compare pupils’ and teachers’ annoyance responses to classroom noise, (2) to compare females and males responses and (3) to test annoyance models that fitted both pupils and teachers. The study included 207 pupils, aged 13–14 years, and 166 teachers, aged 21–65 years. Both pupils and teachers rated chatter as the most disturbing noise source in the classroom. In line with predictions, the teachers experienced themselves as more sensitive to noise, had poorer hearing status, and reported more intense stress symptoms than the pupils. Contrary to expectations, the teachers were more annoyed and they perceived the noise to be more unpredictable than the pupils did. The control items showed a mixed pattern. There were no overall differences between females and males annoyance responses, but females reported having more stress symptoms than males. A conceptual model was tested with structural equation models, where noise sensitivity mediated the relationship between hearing status and annoyance, which in turn affected stress symptoms. Control and predictability were tested as moderators of the relations between stress symptoms and annoyance. The data fit the conceptual model reasonable well when both samples were included in the same test.