The short-term associations of weather and air pollution with emergency ambulance calls for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A circadian variation in the cardiovascular parameters has been detected. It is plausible that the influence of the environment varies during...     

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growth and condition in a polluted environment: from decline to recovery

The results of long-term investigations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growth and condition in the impact zone of one of the biggest air pollution sources in Lithuania--mineral fertilizers plant "Achema" are presented. The main attention is laid to the recovery of damaged stands since annual emissions to air were reduced essentially. The investigations indicated, that the recovery of tree increment was mostly caused by distinct reduction of emissions of nitrogen and sulphur oxides and dust of mineral fertilizers. Despite reduced pollution, crown defoliation of investigated stands has continued to increase for a certain period. After the crown recovery of damaged stands has started, the recovery of most damaged survived trees was most intensive and convergence of defoliated to a different extend stands and trees is characteristic feature of this period. No defoliation threshold has been determined beyond of which recovery of trees would be impossible. Recovery of more than a quarter of damaged trees was registered even in the case of 90% of defoliation. Recovery of dominant trees occurs to be faster of that for suppressed trees within the same level of defoliation. The impact of stand density on the crown recovery rate is negative, the higher density (more intensive competition), the slower recovery of damaged trees. The dependence of growth rate on defoliation was found to be of logistic character: while crown defoliation consists up to 25-30%, tree increment losses are rather inconsiderable, further increase of defoliation leads to the essentially higher increment losses, however having achieved 65-70% defoliation, further increase of defoliation does not result such intensive decrease of radial increment.     

Relation Between Individual Tree Mortality and Tree Characteristics in a Polluted and Non-Polluted Environmentx

Data on individual tree mortality in relatively healthy (Berezinskiy biosphere reserve) and damaged (surroundings of the mineral fertilizer plant ‘Achema’) even-aged Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands are presented. Tree size and competition intensity were found to be the most significant predictors of individual tree mortality in all age groups of the relatively healthy Scots pine stands, however, an essential reduction in the closeness of relations between the tree mortality rate and these variables was determined with the aging of stands. An exponential decrease in tree mortality probability with an increase of tree size is characteristic for trees suffering different competition intensity, however, this decrease becomes much more pronounced as the competition pressure increases. The relations of different tree and stand variables with tree mortality probability have been found to become much weaker in the polluted environment. An exponential increase in tree mortality probability with an increase of crown defoliation was characteristic of damaged Scots pine stands, however, the rate of the increase was different in different age and diameter classes. The impact of crown defoliation on tree mortality rate increased with the aging of stands. At the same defoliation level, individual tree mortality probability was much higher for smaller suppressed trees, however, a relative increase in tree mortality probability along with an increase of crown defoliation was more pronounced for dominant trees. Conclusion: a higher mortality of damaged (defoliated) trees should be considered while assessing losses in forest productivity in a polluted environment.     

Expectations of organizational mobility,workplace social inclusion,and employee job performance

Two new concepts, employees' Expectations of Organizational Mobility (EOM) and Workplace Social Inclusion (WSI), were developed in part from the burgeoning literature on social capital. Two independent tests of the hypotheses in two different organizations found that the greater employees' EOM, the lower their WSI, which in turn was associated with lower employee job performance ratings. Further, the mediating role of WSI was confirmed. Our findings support the arguments of those who have warned that employees' EOM, and implicitly the human resources philosophy of ‘employability’ that encourages such expectations, is associated with comparatively worse individual job performance via lower levels of employee WSI. The value of these concepts for current employability debates, for the use of subjective supervisory judgments in performance appraisal ratings and for researchers interested in organization‐based communal social capital, is discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tree-ring analysis for the assessment of anthropogenic changes and trends

Investigation of Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)annual radial increment (width of annual tree rings) was carriedout in the surroundings of one of the largest pollution sources inLithuania – Jonava Nitrogen Fertilizers Plant. The main objectiveof investigation was to analyse different sides of anthropogenictransformations of tree-ring series in the polluted environment:changes in tree growth intensity; variance changes in tree-ringseries; changes in the relations with natural external factors.Three different periods of tree reaction to the environmentalpollution were singled out – fertilization period, depressionperiod and recovery period since annual emissions were essentiallyreduced. The variance of tree-ring series has increased severaltimes in the polluted environment. Reaction of trees to the impactof climatic factors (temperature, precipitation) has changedsignificantly in the polluted environment and their sensitivity hasalso increased.     

Person-based reward systems: A theory of organizational reward practices in reform-communist organizations

A type of organizational reward system based on personal power is described and partially tested. The theory, developed from observations of Hungarian organizations, is grounded in theories of procedural justice and learned helplessness. Person-based organizational reward systems are characterized by highly valued rewards combined with personalistic criteria for reward distribution. Such organizational reward systems were hypothesized to lead to employee perceptions of organizational unfairness; negative evaluations of others; anxiety; and perceptions of self, collegial and organizational inefficacy. These hypotheses were supported in tests in a sample of three Hungarian state-owned organizations classified as having person-based systems and five non-person-based organizations (two Hungarian privately-owned companies, one American state-owned and two American privately-owned organizations). In addition, several behavioral effects of person-based reward systems were proposed: they foster bargaining behavior, withholding of information, avoidance of collaborative tasks, ingratiation and noncompliance with rules.     

Relation between individual tree mortality and tree characteristics in a polluted and non-polluted environment

Data on individual tree mortality in relatively healthy (Berezinskiy biosphere reserve) and damaged (surroundings of the mineral fertilizer plant 'Achema') even-aged Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands are presented. Tree size and competition intensity were found to be the most significant predictors of individual tree mortality in all age groups of the relatively healthy Scots pine stands, however, an essential reduction in the closeness of relations between the tree mortality rate and these variables was determined with the aging of stands. An exponential decrease in tree mortality probability with an increase of tree size is characteristic for trees suffering different competition intensity, however, this decrease becomes much more pronounced as the competition pressure increases. The relations of different tree and stand variables with tree mortality probability have been found to become much weaker in the polluted environment. An exponential increase in tree mortality probability with an increase of crown defoliation was characteristic of damaged Scots pine stands, however, the rate of the increase was different in different age and diameter classes. The impact of crown defoliation on tree mortality rate increased with the aging of stands. At the same defoliation level, individual tree mortality probability was much higher for smaller suppressed trees, however, a relative increase in tree mortality probability along with an increase of crown defoliation was more pronounced for dominant trees. Conclusion: a higher mortality of damaged (defoliated) trees should be considered while assessing losses in forest productivity in a polluted environment.