Stress and psychological wellbeing in local humanitarian workers in Colombia working for a local non-governmental organization : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

This study examined the differences in stress and psychological wellbeing in 75 local humanitarian personnel (70 females and 5 males, median age = 30.7) from "Fundacion CC", local non-governmental organisation from Medellin, Colombia, who worked either in the field, with the communities they help, or in an administrative facility, doing managerial and planning types of work. Participants answered the Stress Profile questionnaire in order to assess the impact of background variables such as place of work and age, and variables theoretically associated to the processes of stress such as social support, cognitive hardiness and coping styles, on their current levels of stress and psychological wellbeing. Despite increasing worldwide evidence showing the significant impacts of humanitarian work in the field on stress and mental health of humanitarian staff, all participants consistently showed low levels of stress and high levels of psychological wellbeing regardless of place of work and any other differences among them. Additionally, this study showed that variables theorized in the literature as relevant to stress were instead more significant to assess psychological wellbeing in the sample of participants. Results and implications were discussed within the guidelines of transactional models of stress

First-passage method for the study of the efficiency of a two-channel reaction on a lattice

We study the efficiency of a two-channel reaction between two walkers on a finite one-dimensional periodic lattice. The walkers perform a combination of synchronous and asynchronous jumps on the lattice and react instantaneously when they meet at the same site (first channel) or upon position exchange (second channel). We develop a method based on a conditional first-passage problem to obtain exact results for the mean number of time steps needed for the reaction to take place as well as for higher order moments. Previous results obtained in the framework of a difference equation approach are fully confirmed, including the existence of a parity effect. For even lattices the maximum efficiency corresponds to a mixture of synchronous events and a small amount of asynchronous events, while for odd lattices the reaction time is minimized by a purely synchronous process. We provide an intuitive explanation for this behavior. In addition, we give explicit expressions for the variance of the reaction time. The latter displays a similar even-odd behavior, suggesting that the parity effect extends to higher order moments.Comment: 17 pages, 2 tables, 6 figures, revtex

Thermodynamic properties of the XX model in a chain with a period two and three coupling

The exact solutions for the energy spectrum of the XX model with a periodic coupling and an external transverse magnetic field $h$ are obtained. The diagonalization procedure is discussed, and analytical and numerical solutions are given. Using the solutions for period-two coupling, the free energy, entropy, and specific heat are calculated as functions of temperature and applied transverse external magnetic field. Their expressions show that below a particular value $v$ and above a value $u$ of the magnetic field $|h|$, the entropy and the specific heat vanish exponentially in the low temperature limit.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, new references adde

The rethinking and enhancement of the natural and cultural heritage of the cultural landscapes: the case of Sečovlje and Janubio saltpans

Cultural landscapes represent a complex category where the nature-culture dichotomy seem to not be able to unfold the main features and the profound relations that humans have with the environment. Drawing on ethnographic data collected in the saltpans of Se-ovlje (Slovene Istria) and Janubio (Lanzarote--Canary Islands) this article examines informant`s perceptions about the awareness of the importance and the enhancement of the holistic values of both saltpans, as well as the impacts and benefits of tourism. Comparing these perceptions about both cultural landscapes, I try to suggest that the complex fruitfully relations between humans and nature in these saltpans are at odds with the neoliberal logic of nature which exploit and commoditize its resources depriving them of their respective agency. A sustainability to contrast the harmful activities of the market ought to be understood not as a simply isolation and fencing of nature for the sake of conservation, but as a preservation that need to foster the continuity of the deep interactions between human culture and non-human nature which are the core of the cultural landscapes

Population, Heath and Women

There are a number of issues regarding women’s health, women’s reproductive behavior, fertility impact of reproductive health programs and the effect of gender roles and expectations in these factors. This paper attempts to put together recently available Philippine information that could shed light to these issues. Analysis of national data suggests the absence of gender bias in the utilization of health care services. Planning and maternal care are deemed to have positive impact on women’s health. So is women’s reproductive health on fertility.women's issues, population and family relation, health sector, health care, fertility