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PubMed2003

The silence of the library: environment, situational norm, and social behavior.

On the basis of the idea that situational norms are mentally represented as associations between environments and normative behavior, it was proposed that an environment can automatically direct normative behavior. More specifically, when situational norms are well-established (e.g., when entering the library, one should be silent), an environment is capable of automatically activating mental representations of normative behavior and the behavior itself. In these experiments, participants were exposed to pictures of environments, and effects on accessibility of representations of normative behavior and on actual behavior were assessed. Results indicated that representations of behavior and actual behavior itself are activated automatically when (a) goals to visit the environment are active and (b) strong associations between environment and normative behavior are established.

Affect↗

PubMed1992

[Study on the relationship between toddler temperament and development (first report)--the correlation among toddler temperament, maternal perception and rearing environment].

The purpose of this study is to clarify how a child's temperament and maternal perception influences the rearing environment. As the conceptual framework, we used A.J. Sameroff's transactional model and Miyake's conceptual model of mother and child. The following process was hypothesized: toddler temperament influences maternal perception, which in turn influences rearing environment under which children are developing. Questionnaires concerning toddler temperament, maternal perception and rearing environment were sent to mothers whose children were scheduled to receive 1 year and 6 months child health examinations, and results from 306 mothers and children who answered the questionnaires were analyzed. The results were as follows: (1) Child temperament showed a tendency to accord with maternal perception of how easy it is to handle him/her. (2) Maternal perception was related to rearing environment. (3) Temperamental characteristics were related to rearing environment. (4) While the influence of child temperament and maternal perception on the rearing environment was not shown to be strong, the hypothesized process of this study was supported to a certain degree. From these results, it appears that it is important to pay attention to a child's temperament as a contributing factor in the health practice of mother and child.

Child Rearing↗

PubMed2006

Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of rats subjected to focal cerebral ischemia and enriched environment housing.

PURPOSE: Enriched environment housing enhances brain plasticity and improves recovery of impaired sensorimotor and cognitive functions of rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The present study applied microarray technique to investigate the molecular basis through which enriched environment might improve spatial learning in MCAO rats. METHODS: MCAO rats were housed in enriched environment or in standard single cages, and sham-operated rats were housed in standard single cages. Spatial learning was assessed using the Morris water-maze on postoperative days 22 to 24. Total RNA from the ipsilateral hippocampus was extracted for microarray analysis after the follow-up period. RESULTS: Water-maze performance on postoperative days 22 to 24 showed that rats subjected to transient MCAO were impaired in the hippocampus-dependent Morris water-maze test. Enriched environment housing reversed the spatial learning impairment on postoperative day 23. Gene expression in the hippocampus was not affected by MCAO or following enriched environment housing. CONCLUSION: Spatial learning impairment following transient MCAO in rats and cognitive improvement following housing in enriched environment is not related to % related to extrahippocampal brain regions rather than altered hippocampal gene expression.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Perception of cockpit environment among pilots on commercial aircraft.

UNLABELLED: Impaired cockpit environment may influence both well-being and performance of pilots. OBJECTIVE: To study the perception of cockpit environment among pilots, in relation to demographic factors, and type of aircraft (B767-300, B737-600, DC9/21-41, MD 81/90 series). METHODS: A standardized questionnaire was mailed to all pilots in one airline company; 81% participated (n = 622). All flights were non-smoking flights and the B767 was the only aircraft operated on intercontinental flights. The DC9 was the only aircraft without air recirculation. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied, controlling for age, gender, smoking, perceived psychosocial work environment, and type of aircraft. RESULTS: Younger age and a history of atopy and stress due to excess work were the main predictors of symptom and environmental perceptions. The most common symptoms were fatigue (14%), facial dermal (10%), and nasal symptoms (9%). Common complaints on cockpit environment were dry air (53%), dust and dirt (48%), noise (46%), and inadequate illumination (34%). Using the DC9 as a reference category, Boeing 767 pilots had more fatigue (OR 19.5; p < 0.001), throat symptoms (OR = 4.40; p < 0.05), complaints on dry air (OR = 2.93; p < 0.01), stuffy air (OR = 4.60; p < 0.01), static electricity (OR = 6.39; < 0.05), and dust (OR = 2.01; p < 0.05). Boeing 737 pilots had more complaints on noise (OR = 4.01; p < 0.001) and dust (OR = 1.81; p < 0.05). MD 81/90 pilots had more complaints on dry air (OR = 1.76; p < 0.05), dust (OR = 1.92; p < 0.05), and inadequate illumination (OR = 2.08; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Complaints on the cockpit environment were common and differed between different types of aircraft. This indicates a need to optimize the cockpit environment, e.g., increase the cleaning and relative air humidity.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Changing the work environment in intensive care units to achieve patient-focused care: the time has come.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments and the American College of Chest Physicians Patient-Focused Care project are complementary initiatives that provide a road map for creating practice environments where interdisciplinary, patient-focused care can thrive. Healthy work environments are so influential that failure to address the issue would result in deleterious effects for every aspect of acute and critical care practice. Skilled communication and true collaboration are crucial for transforming work environments. The American College of Chest Physicians project on patient-focused care was born out of a realization that medicine as currently practiced is too fragmented, too focused on turf battles that hinder communication, and too divorced from a real understanding of what patients expect and need from their healthcare providers. Communication as well as continuity and concordance with the patients' wishes are foundational premises of care that is patient-focused and safe. Some individuals may achieve some level of genuine patient-focused care even when they practice in a toxic work environment because they are gifted communicators who embrace true collaboration. At best, most likely those efforts will be hit-or-miss and such heroism will be impossible to sustain if the environment is not transformed into a model that reflects standards and initiatives set out by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and the American College of Chest Physicians. Other innovative models of care delivery remain unreported. The successes and failures of these models should be shared with the professional community.

Health Facility Environment↗

PubMed1978

Effect of dry versus wet bowl environment on pet turtles.

Recently hatched, certified Salmonella-free, red-eared slider turtles (Pseudemys scripta elegans) were obtained from a commercial breeder. Half of the turtles were kept in a traditional wet-bowl environment, whereas the other half lived in individual dry-bowl environments, except for 30 minutes each day when they were immersed in water and were fed. Both groups were fed commercial turtle food. During the 26 weeks of the study, individual weight and general observations were recorded for each turtle. Neither Salmonella nor Arizona bacteria were recovered from the turtles, their food, or their bowen environments. Histologic observations were completed on organs of both groups. Turtles maintained in the dry-bowl environment ate poorly, were considerably less active and less developed histologically, and lost significantly more weight than those turtles living in the wet bowl environment. Neither the environment nor the feeding program were found to be satisfactory for prolonged household maintenance of pet turtles.

Animals↗

PubMed1981

Work environment, type A behavior, and coronary heart disease risk factors.

Relationships to CHD risk factors of work environment variables, of the Type A behavior pattern, and of their interaction were studied in 384 male salaried workers. Except for an association between physical comfort in the work environment and systolic blood pressure, no significant independent relationships were found between any of the work environment variables or the Type A behavior pattern and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. Type A workers who described their work environments as encouraging autonomy or being high in peer cohesion had lower blood pressures than those who did not. The reverse was found for Type Bs. Type Bs who described their environments as low in physical comfort had higher systolic blood pressure than those who did not. These significant interactions are discussed from the perspective of person-environment fit. Future directions for research and implications for CHD risk reduction are presented.

Behavior↗

PubMed1995

Environmental design, work, and well being: managing occupational stress through changes in the workplace environment.

The physical environment can be an important contributor to occupational stress. Factors that contribute to stress and other negative outcomes include: lack of control over the environment, distractions from coworkers, lack of privacy, noise, crowding, and environmental deprivations (such as lack of windows and aesthetic impoverishment). The design of "salutogenic" environments requires not only the elimination of negative stress inducing features, but also the addition of environmental enhancements, including such factors as increased personal control, contact with nature and daylight, aesthetically pleasing spaces, and spaces for relaxation alone or with others. Salutogenic environments also take into consideration positive psychosocial "fit," as well as functional fit between people and environments. At the heart of the current interest in the work environment are two major concerns: organizational productivity and employee well being.

Burnout, Professional↗

PubMed1995

Child's home environment in relation to the mother's adiposity.

OBJECTIVE: There are conflicting findings regarding the role of non-genetic family factors on obesity in children, but specific characteristics of the family environment that may influence childhood obesity have not been identified. The purpose of the present study was to explore the association between mother's adiposity and family environment factors that could influence the child's risk of obesity, primarily through effects on eating and physical activity behaviors. DESIGN AND MEASURES: Cross-sectional, correlational study. Adiposity was estimated by the sum of mothers' triceps and subscapular skinfolds. Family environment measures were assessed by direct observation and by structured interviews with mothers. SUBJECTS: A sample of 347 mothers of preschool children were assessed. RESULTS: Mother's adiposity was related to marital status, with married mothers having thicker skinfolds. Only two of 23 family environment variables were significantly correlated with mother's adiposity, and both of these variables were related to television. The demographic and family environment variables accounted for only 4% of the variance in mothers' skinfolds. CONCLUSION: The present study identified few characteristics of the family environment that were related to mother's adiposity.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1994

Energy expenditure and fluid production in hyperbaric He-O2 environments using doubly labeled water.

Energy expenditure (EE), carbon dioxide production (rCO2), water turnover (rH2O), and urine production (UP) were measured to determine nutrient requirements of U.S. Navy divers during saturation dives. Parameters were measured in a normal surface environment (n = 10) and in 0.56 MPa (n = 9) and 3.17 MPa (n = 11) helium-oxygen environments. Daily EE, rCO2, and rH2O were measured with the doubly labeled water method for 10-14 days in each environment. Daily UP was determined by 24-h urine collection for 5- to 10-day periods in each environment. Divers consumed a mixed diet composed of 30% calories from fat, 15% protein, and 55% carbohydrate. Both EE and rCO2 increased significantly relative to surface conditions at 0.56 MPa (13 +/- 4% and 11 +/- 4%) and 3.17 MPa (14 +/- 4% and 11 +/- 3%), but there was no difference between dives. Water turnover was not significantly affected by the hyperbaric environment. UP was significantly greater than surface conditions at 0.56 MPa (53 +/- 19%) but not at 3.17 MPa (38 +/- 18%). Increased EE is attributed to thermal stress caused by the helium-oxygen environment. Increased UP may have been caused by decreased evaporative water loss.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Sustainable production: a proposed strategy for the work environment.

BACKGROUND: In the future, competitive industries will need to design for environment, health and safety as well as for productivity. Although the new areas of pollution prevention and clean production have evolved to address the design of production processes with concerns for the ambient environment, current pollution prevention models do not include explicit concerns for health, safety, and the work environment. The field of occupational health and safety has much to contribute to improve current pollution prevention approaches and solutions. METHODS: The application of work environment disciplines will need to be expanded from the conventional focus on "end-of-pipe" assessment and solutions, which take the production processes and resulting hazards as a given, to include a new focus on materials selection and process redesign. To make this shift, a new framework called "sustainable production" is proposed. The basic unit of sustainable production is the production process. The framework integrates a focus on the ambient and work environment along with a focus on productivity and the economic viability of the business enterprise in setting production process design parameters. RESULTS: By shifting the focus of occupational and environmental health and safety from exposure control to process design, sustainable production reduces the likelihood that concerns for health, safety, and the environment will be seen as antagonistic to productivity and economic development. To move a firm toward sustainable production, occupational health and safety professionals will need to participate in interdisciplinary workplace teams that design and build new production processes and that continuously evaluate and redesign existing processes. CONCLUSIONS: This new strategy requires an expansion of the role of the occupational health and safety professional to include evaluation and redesign of processes that produce goods and services as well as the conventional evaluation of chemical, physical, and biological agents, work practices, and ergonomics. This expansion of occupational and environmental health and safety requires new research to develop the scientific and public policy basis of sustainable production.

Economic Competition↗

PubMed1999

Three-dimensional environments preserve extracellular matrix compartments of ovarian follicles and increase FSH-dependent growth.

In this study we performed a systematic comparative analysis of two culture environments-flat/adhesive liquid and three-dimensional collagen gel-upon in vitro ovarian follicle development. We paid particular attention to the effects of in vitro environments upon the preservation of follicular structure and of peri- and intra-follicular extracellular matrix. We show that flat/adhesive environment leads to an obvious distortion of follicle morphology, marked extracellular matrix modifications and high rates of spontaneous, i.e., FSH-independent, follicle disruption. In contrast, three-dimensional collagen gel environments are able to maintain follicular structure with an in vivo-like basal lamina architecture, minimizing spontaneous disruption. Follicle distortions found in flat/adhesive culture systems include a pronounced flattening, causing the follicle horizontal diameters not to adequately reflect follicle volume. Our volume data, based on three-axis follicle diameter measurements, indicate that three-dimensional collagen gel environments increase follicle growth, particularly in response to FSH. This study demonstrates that preservation of both peri- and intra-follicular extracellular matrix compartments during the in vitro growth and differentiation of ovarian follicles is highly desirable, and is now possible through the use of appropriate three-dimensional collagen gel culture environments. This system allows a better understanding of the specific roles played by each of the follicle compartments during development.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Pubertal-related changes influence the development of environment-related social interaction in the male rat.

The influence of pubertal age on the differential effect of a familiar versus an unfamiliar environment on social interaction (SI) in pairs of male rats was evaluated. The decrease in SI induced by the unfamiliar environment in adult rats is considered an anxiety-related response. Intact male rats and male rats castrated at 19 days were tested for SI at 28, 35, and 60 days of age. The results revealed that in the intact rats, decreased SI in an unfamiliar environment was evident at 35 and 60 days but not at 28 days. The behavioral composition of the environment-induced response at 35 days was different from that measured at 60 days. Prepubertal castration prevented the decrease in SI in the unfamiliar environment at both 35 and 60 days. This study demonstrated the emergence with the onset of puberty of a specific behavioral response to an anxiogenic condition. Furthermore, the development of this environment-related behavioral response was influenced by gonadal secretion(s), suggesting the importance of gonadal function to the emergence of this response.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1993

Development of FRP composite structural biomaterials: fatigue strength of the fiber/matrix interfacial bond in simulated in vivo environments.

Fiber/matrix interfacial bonding in fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials is potentially sensitive to degradation in aqueous environments. Ultimate bond strength (UBS) in carbon fiber/polysulfone (CF/PSF) and polyaramid/polysulfone (K49/PSF) was previously reported to be significantly decreased in two simulated in vivo environments. While UBS is a useful parameter, for orthopedic implant applications the fatigue behavior of the interface is probably a more relevant indicator of long-term composite material performance. In this article, the effects of simulated in vivo environments (saline, exudate) upon the fatigue behavior of the interface of CF/PSF and K49/PSF are reported. The fatigue behavior of both material combinations was linearly dependent on the logarithm of fatigue life in the dry (control), saline, and exudate environments. Testing either material in saline and exudate resulted in significantly lower fatigue strength than in the dry environment; however, results in the two wet environments were indistinguishable. The CF/PSF interface experienced fatigue failure at approximately 10(5) load cycles at a maximum applied load level of only 15% of its ultimate dry bond strength without indication of an endurance limit being reached. These results raise some important questions regarding the durability of CF/PSF composite in load bearing orthopedic applications.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Suicidal feelings and work environment in psychiatric nursing personnel.

Suicidal feelings, attempted suicide and aspects of work environment and well-being in Swedish psychiatric nursing personnel were studied using a questionnaire. The questionnaire, containing 190 questions, was mailed to all 242 nurses and attendants working in psychiatric care at the department of psychiatry at Karolinska Hospital. Eighty-one percent (n = 197) returned the questionnaire. Suicidal feelings "last year" were lower than in the general population, but suicidal feeling and attempted suicide "earlier than last year" were much more common, and 13% reported that they had attempted suicide earlier in life. In order to study the possible association between work environment and suicide, a factor analysis was performed. Four factors were extracted and labelled: suicidality, quality of work, negative work environment and burn out/depression. The correlation between the factors suggests that negative work environment is associated with burn out/depression, which in turn is related to suicidality. No direct link was demonstrated between suicidality and work environment, and completed suicide was not investigated. The study provides some indirect evidence that a negative work environment may increase suicidal feelings.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Bacterial exopolysaccharides from extreme marine environments with special consideration of the southern ocean, sea ice, and deep-sea hydrothermal vents: a review.

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are high molecular weight carbohydrate polymers that make up a substantial component of the extracellular polymers surrounding most microbial cells in the marine environment. EPSs constitute a large fraction of the reduced carbon reservoir in the ocean and enhance the survival of marine bacteria by influencing the physicochemical environment around the bacterial cell. Microbial EPSs are abundant in the Antarctic marine environment, for example, in sea ice and ocean particles, where they may assist microbial communities to endure extremes of temperature, salinity, and nutrient availability. The microbial biodiversity of Antarctic ecosystems is relatively unexplored. Deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments are characterized by high pressure, extreme temperature, and heavy metals. The commercial value of microbial EPSs from these habitats has been established recently. Extreme environments offer novel microbial biodiversity that produces varied and promising EPSs. The biotechnological potential of these biopolymers from hydrothermal vent environments as well as from Antarctic marine ecosystems remains largely untapped.

Antarctic Regions↗

PubMed1986

Preparation and characterization of thin film surface coatings for biological environments.

An approach to the problem of selecting synthetic materials for use in biological media is presented. Firstly, a surface energetic criterion of biocompatibility of foreign surfaces is suggested. This criterion, which is based on an analysis of the surface interactions between a typical biological fluid (i.e. blood) and synthetic surfaces, is founded on the premise that a sufficiently low (but not very low) solid-biological fluid interfacial free energy of the order of 1-3 dyne/cm, is necessary in order to fulfil the dual requirements of maintaining a low thermodynamic driving force for the adsorption of fluid components on the solid surface as well as a mechanically stable solid-fluid interface. In the second part of this investigation, an experimental approach involving the radio frequency (rf) sputter deposition of thin solid films of tightly adhering polymeric compounds on materials with the desired bulk characteristics, is shown to be a promising method of tailoring the surface properties of many types of synthetic materials for use in biological environments. The preparation and surface characterization of thin, solid films of oxidized fluorocarbon coatings (from a Teflon FEP target) by rf sputtering is illustrated. The deposited polymer films were characterized for their surface morphology, thickness, elemental surface chemical composition and their wetting properties in a biological environment, by the techniques of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ellipsometry, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and contact angle measurements, respectively. Based on the ESCA and contact angle results, it emerges that the surfaces of such polymeric coatings possess sufficient mobility to considerably alter their structures between different environments (such as air and water) and thereby present different wetting characters to these environments. The contact angle procedure developed in this investigation permitted the estimation of the relevant wetting properties of such mobile surfaces in an aqueous environment (which is the environment encountered in most biological fluids). In the final part of this investigation, the possibility of effecting a drastic reduction in the solid-water interfacial free energy of the sputtered polymer surfaces by physical and or chemical modification of their surfaces and thereby improving their biocompatibility is illustrated.

Biocompatible Materials↗

PubMed1983

Changing hospital work environments: an example of a burn unit.

A liaison psychiatrist invited to help a burn unit staff explore problems affecting morale and patient care employed a four-step procedure: (1) assess the work environment systematically; (2) give the staff feedback from this assessment; (3) help the staff plan and institute changes; and (4) reassess. To assess the work environment, the staff completed the Work Environment Scale (WES), a 90-item, true/false questionnaire that measures ten dimensions of the actual and preferred work environment. At the second of 12 bi-weekly meetings, the psychiatrist presented the unit's WES profile and began helping the staff explore and resolve problems. Reassessment six months later revealed statistically significant changes on several pertinent WES scales and reduced discrepancies between actual and preferred work environments on nine of the ten scales. The findings indicate that systemmatic assessment and feedback procedures may help liaison programs improve the quality of hospital work environments and thereby enhance staff performance and morale.

Burn Units↗