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Maintaining regional competitiveness and economic viability for Port Bustamante -Kingston Harbour, Jamaica,required improved accessibility to "Post Panamax "(too large to pass through the Panama Canal)container vessels.Removal of the northern portion of the shallow coral reef at Rackham ’s Cay,which was partially obstructing the western end of the east ship channel,was proposed.This aesthetically valuable reef was used by local fishermen and comprises part of the declared Palisadoes -Port Royal Protected Area.The proposal to transplant certain of the benthic species was advanced to mitigate loss of viable reef components.Between December 2001 and February 2002,sixty thousand items,consisting of reef building massive and branching corals; gorgonians;urchins (Diadema and Tripneustes spp.)and Thalassia meristems were relocated.During dredging,sedimentation rates from suspended solids in the water column were 0.003 g/cm² /day at the control site and 0.008 g/cm² /day at the dredge site.Coral cover in the relocation area increased from 15%to 20%while bare substrate decreased from 27%to 21%.This paper documents the mitigation required;some factors controlling the ecology of Rackham ’s Cay reef;the methodology of the relocation process;and the level of post-dredging survivorship of relocated corals.Political and economic realities of some proposed developments often over-ride ecological considerations. Transplantation of important marine benthic species although time consuming, technically challenging,and expensive,may be one way for developers and ecologists to achieve sometimes disparate goals.This project cost US$1.7 million.The "items "moved were neither unique nor endemic and remain vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic impacts.This project increased public awareness and interest regarding the ecological and economic importance of reef ecosystems.It is anticipated that future coastal and inland developments will benefit from the lessons taught by these mitigative interventions.Para mantener la competitividad regional y la viabilidad económica del Puerto de Bustamante -Kingston Harbour,Jamaica,se requería mejorar la entrada de buques de contenedores "Post Panamax "(nombre dado a los buques que son demasiado grandes para pasar por el canal de Panamá).Se propuso remover la parte norte del cayo coralino Rackham que obstruía parcialmente el lado oeste del canal del este.Este arrecife,estéticamente valioso,era usado por pescadores y forma parte del Área Protegida Palisadoes -Port Royal.Se propuso transplantar algunos organismos bentónicos para mitigar las pérdidas de elementos arrecifales.Entre diciembre 2001 y febrero 2002,se reubicó unos 60 000 organismos de corales constructores de arrecifes masivos y ramificados,gorgonaceos, erizos (Diadema y Tripneustes spp.)y meristemos de Thalassia .Durante el dragado las cantidades de sedimentos en suspensión fueron de 0.003 g/cm² /día en el sitio testigo y 0.008 g/cm² /día en el sitio de dragado.La cobertura de coral aumentó en el sitio de reubicación de 15%a 20%mientras que el sustrato desnudo disminuyó de 27%a 21%.En este trabajo se documentan los requerimientos para la mitigación; algunos factores que controlan la ecología del arrecife del Cayo Rackham;la metodología del proceso de reubicación; y el nivel de supervivencia de corales reubicados.Es común que se dé más importancia a consideraciones políticas y económicas de algunas propuestas de desarrollo que a las consideraciones ecológicas.El transplante de especies marinas bentónicas importantes,aunque consume mucho tiempo, es técnicamente desafiante y costoso,es una forma en que los "desarrollistas " y los "ecologistas " pueden alcanzar objetivos dispares.Este proyecto costó EEUU$1.7 millones. Los organismos trasladados no eran únicos ni endémicos y siguen siendo vulnerables a impactos naturales y antropogénicos.Sin embargo,este proyecto aumentó la percepción e interés en la importancia ecológica y económica de los arrecifes coralinos.Se anticipa que futuros proyectos de desarrollo costeros y de tierra adentro se van a beneficiar de las lecciones aprendidas durante esta intento de mitigación.

Approximately 14% of the working-age Swedish population are either on long-term sick leave or early retirement due to disability. Substantial increase of sick listing, reports of work disabilities and early retirement due to stress and musculoskeletal chronic pain suggest a need for methods of preventing loss of function resulting from these conditions. The present preliminary investigation examined the effects of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for the treatment of public health sector workers who showed chronic stress/pain and were at risk for high sick leave utilization. ACT was compared in an additive treatment design with medical treatment as usual (MTAU). A group of 19 participants were randomly distributed into 2 groups. Both conditions received MTAU. The ACT condition received four l-hour weekly sessions of ACT in addition to MTAU. At post and 6-month follow-up, ACT participants showed fewer sick days and used fewer medical treatment resources than those in the MTAU condition. No significant differences were found in levels of pain, stress, or quality of life. Improvements in sick leave and medical utilization could not be accounted for by remission of stress and pain in the ACT group as no between-group differences were found for stress or pain symptoms.

The present study compared methadone maintenance alone to methadone maintenance in combination with 16 weeks of either Intensive Twelve-Step Facilitation (ITSF) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in a preliminary efficacy trial with polysubstance-abusing opiate addicts who were continuing to use drugs while on methadone maintenance. Results showed that the addition of ACT was associated with lower objectively assessed opiate and total drug use during follow-up than methadone maintenance alone, and lower subjective measures of total drug use at follow-up. An intent-to-treat analysis which assumed that missing drug data indicated drug use also provided support for the reliability of objectively assessed total drug use decreases in the ACT condition. ITSF reduced objective measures of total drug use during follow-up but not in the intent-to-treat analyses. Most measures of adjustment and psychological distress improved in all conditions, but there was no evidence of differential improvement across conditions in these areas. Both ACT and ITSF merit further exploration as a means of reducing severe drug abuse.

This study examined how program directors, instructors, and participant youth from a sample of federally funded abstinence-only-until-marriage education programs in Texas define the term 'abstinence' and its object (from what one abstains). A sample of eight programs, from the 32 federally funded programs in the state (funded in fiscal year 2000 -2001), were selected for in-depth case studies. Interviews were conducted with 29 program staff (10 directors and 19 instructors). Six focus group sessions were held with youth participating in the programs. Interview and focus group transcripts were analyzed qualitatively, with salient themes being coded and counted. Results are presented in terms of frequency of mention of each theme/code. Most respondents (80% of program directors, 89% of instructors, 83% of focus groups) provided definitions of abstinence containing both positive and negative elements. Positive-patterned definitions emphasized specific attitudes and behaviors that must be internalized by youth (Internal Management; Values/Attitudes Incorporation; Abstinence as an Option; Investment in the Future). Negative definitions stressed restraint and avoidance, and focused on the objects of abstinence (Sexual/Vaginal Intercourse; Oral Sex; Anal Sex; Pre-Coital Behaviors; Behaviors with Purpose of Sexual Arousal; Non-Sexual Behaviors). Each element was mentioned by at least 26% of program staff and in at least 17% of youth focus groups. Results indicated substantial variability in how the term 'abstinence' is defined. Such variability has implications for development of abstinence education programs, as well as for implementation of valid, equitable, and useful evaluations., Shared meanings and common understanding of sexuality-related terminology are vital for the success of health education efforts in schools and communities. Meanings of sex-related terms, however, are not necessarily or [...]

Background There is a dearth of literature on how different domains of sitting time relate to other health behaviours. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these associations in a sample of office workers. Methods 7170 Northern Irish Civil Servants completed an online survey which included information on workday and non-workday sitting time in five domains (travel, work, TV, computer-use, leisure-time), physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. An unhealthy behaviour score was calculated by summing the number of health behaviours which did not meet the current guidelines. Multinomial regressions examined associations between unhealthy behaviour score and each domain of sitting time. Results ≥7 hours sitting at work and ≥2 hours TV viewing on a workday both more than doubled the odds of partaking in ≥3 unhealthy behaviours [Odds ratio, OR = 2.03, 95% CI, (1.59–2.61); OR = 2.19 (1.71–2.80)] and ≥3 hours of TV viewing on a non-workday nearly tripled the odds [OR = 2.96 (2.32–3.77)]. Conclusions High sitting time at work and TV viewing on a workday and non-workday are associated with increased odds of partaking in multiple unhealthy behaviours. Interventions need to focus on these domains and public health policy should consider sitting time as an important health behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite evidence that affect shapes perceptions of workplace relationships, the role of affect in the reciprocal exchange process of leader–member exchange (LMX) theory is often overlooked. We argue that this is likely due to a continued focus on global assessments of LMX quality, rather than examination of the reciprocal, interlocked actions and reactions that take place daily between members of the dyad. A leader's affective state may indeed spark this reciprocal exchange process on a daily level and ultimately shape the state of the leader–follower relationship. In this study, we integrate LMX theory and emotions‐as‐social‐information (EASI) theory to examine how the leader's negative and positive affective states uniquely contribute to the reciprocal exchange process. In doing so, we advance understanding of the distinction of state LMX as well as the unique process for leader's negative affective state within the reciprocal exchange process. Using a 15‐day experience sampling methodology study of 76 leader–follower dyads, we find that a leader's positive and negative affective states transmit effects along the affective and inferential paths posited in EASI theory to influence follower performance on a daily basis. Interestingly, a leader's positive affective state is stronger along the affective path and a leader's negative affective state is stronger along the inferential path. We also find that leaders reciprocate the daily shift in follower performance with OCBI directed toward the follower. Finally, as expected, the reciprocal exchange process alters state LMX (leader rated). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of behavioral covariation has been a topic of interest to behavior analysts for many years. Many writers have used the term response generalization interchangeably with behavioral covariation. In this paper, we argue from the extant literature that the term 'response generalization' should be used to describe only very specific occasions of behavioral covariation. In fact, we argue, response generalization is merely one of at least six types of behavioral covariation observed in organizational behavior management studies. After describing response generalization, the remaining five types of response-response relations we describe are: (1) physiological relations, (2) when target behaviors occasion related behaviors, (3) when target behaviors reinforce related behaviors, (4) when target and related behaviors are maintained by the same reinforcing stimulus, and (5) covariation through participation in verbal relations. We conclude by discussing the potential for additional research on this topic in the area of verbal relations. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: KEYWORDS. Operant response classes, response generalization, organizational behavior management, response-response relations, verbal relations, verbal behavior, behavior covariance