Improved perception of work following a stress management intervention.

BACKGROUND: In the work and stress literature, surprisingly few studies of stress management interventions have evaluated effects on the perceived psychosocial work environment. Using data from a randomized controlled trial we investigated whether the perceived psychosocial work environment and overcommitment to work improved following a group-based, cognitive-behavioural stress management intervention. AIMS: We hypothesized that the participants would experience less job demand, overcommitment and effort-reward imbalance (ERI) as well as higher job control following the intervention. METHODS: Using a wait-list controlled design, 102 participants were randomized to either an intervention group or a wait-list control group. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and follow-up after three, six and nine months, and analysed using mixed model univariate repeated measures analyses of variance. Results are presented as effect sizes using Cohen's d with confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Changes from 0 to 3 months for the intervention group were significantly superior to changes for the wait-list control group on all outcomes. The controlled effect size for job demands was d = 0.42 (0.01-0.84 95% CI), for job control d = 0.39 (0.06-0.71 95% CI), for effort-reward imbalance d = 0.61 (0.22-1.01 95% CI) and for overcommitment d = 0.44 (0.06-0.81 95% CI). Improvements were maintained at three months follow-up after the end of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention improved the perceived psychosocial work environment and attitude to work with small-medium effect sizes. To our knowledge, this is the first paper from a randomized controlled trial of a stress-management intervention reporting on these important outcomes.

A bi-symmetric square wave Zeeman modulator for nuclear quadrupole resonance.

A simple circuit has been designed to generate a bi-symmetric square wave Zeeman modulation for the detection of nuclear quadrupole resonance. The square waveform not only provides an optimum result among bi-symmetric modulation waveforms, but also allows the observation of the Zeeman perturbed NQR powder pattern without the need for an extra external magnetic field.

Acoustic ringing effects in pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance probes.

The troublesome spurious ringing phenomenon found in pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance probes is explained in terms of the electromagnetic generation and detection of ultrasonic waves. A few techniques for eliminating this problem are discussed.