A relative approach to opinion formation

Formal models of opinion formation commonly represent an individual’s opinion by a value on a fixed opinion interval. We propose an alternative modeling method wherein interpretation is only provided to the relative positions of opinions vis-à-vis each other. This method is then considered in a similar setting as the discrete-time Altafini model (an extension of the well-known DeGroot model), but with more general influence weights. Even in a linear framework, the model can describe, in the long run, polarization, dynamics with a periodic pattern, and (modulus) consensus formation. In addition, in our alternative approach key characteristics of the opinion dynamic can be derived from real-valued square matrices of influence weights, which immediately allows one to transfer matrix theory insights to the field of opinion formation dynamics under more relaxed conditions than in the DeGroot or discrete-time Altafini models. A few specific themes are covered: (i) We demonstrate how stable patterns in relative opinion dynamics are identified which are hidden when opinions are considered in an absolute opinion framework. (ii) For the two-agent case, we provide an exhaustive closed-form description of the relative opinion model’s dynamic in the long run. (iii) We explore group dynamics analytically, in particular providing a non-trivial condition under which a subgroup’s asymptotic behavior carries over to the entire population

Stones displaced: retaining the nuances of Maltese culture through short English fiction

This thesis is composed of two parts: a short story collection, entitled Stones Displaced and a critical commentary. The title of the collection, Stones Displaced, is taken from a line in Oliver Friġġieri’s poem We’re Gurgling water (1993), in which the poet mourns a Malta that has lost its identity and compares the Maltese diaspora to ‘stones displaced’ (Friġġieri, 1993). Since my characters are also trying to establish what their identity means to them, either through rediscovering themselves abroad, or through returning to the island, I felt that the line was very apt for my characters. My research emerged from a desire to explore the experience of unbelonging and hybrid identity of a Maltese community through English-language short fiction. Stones Displaced is a short story cycle that depicts the social transitions of Malta through the eyes of lonesome, isolated figures, living on the margins of its society. Through my characters’ experiences of transnationality and unbelonging, I try to understand my own journey of growing up in a secular island nation with a foreign parent and surname. This thesis focuses on how the short story cycle is a strong medium for communicating the lives of those from minority groups. Its scope is to find ways by which the nuances of Maltese life could be retained when writing English-language fiction. The critical component is divided into two main chapters. In the first chapter, I explore how my writing practice helped me identify three main ways of retaining the nuances of Maltese in English- language dialogues. Chapter Two looks into the short form itself, and four other techniques that can be used when depicting Maltese setting and life with a foreign audience in mind. This thesis can be beneficial to those who like myself are preoccupied with representing minority cultures in languages other than their own

In Vitro Bone Formation Associated with Apatite Coated Polylactide

Bone formation onto poly(L-lactide), which was plasma-spray coated with various quantities of hydroxyapatite (0%, 15%, 36% and 100% coverage), was investigated in an in vitro assay. Rat bone marrow cells were grown on the different coatings and the cellular response and elaborated extracellular matrix was examined at the light and electron microscopical level after 1, 2 , 4 and 8 weeks of culture. Proliferation of cells into multilayers was seen on the 0% , 36% and 100% , but not on the 15 % coatings. Coinciding with this was the sparse formation of extracellular matrix on the latter, and its abundant appearance on the former three coatings. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed a mineralized extracellular matrix on the 100% and 36% coatings after 2 and 4 weeks , respectively, and on the 15 % coating after 8 weeks. Mineralization was not observed on uncoated poly(L-lactide). At the interface between hydroxyapatite and the mineralized extracellular matrix, one or more electron dense layers were frequently observed , which showed morphological similarities with structures between these two entities in vivo. The results of this in vitro study show that, in the model used, hydroxyapatite is required to obtain the elaboration of mineralized extracellular matrix on poly(L-lactide)

A critical analysis of the utility and compatibility of motivation theories in psychiatric treatment

The TransTheoretical Model (TTM), Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and the Integral Model of Treatment Motivation (IM) provide distinct but not incompatible conceptualisations of motivation. We discuss the utility of these theories as a basis for the improvement of psychiatric treatment engagement and treatment outcomes in patients with severe mental illness. It appears that all three theories have gained support for their predictions of outcomes in patients with severe mental illness, but important questions remain unanswered, such as which of these theories provides the best prediction of treatment engagement and treatment outcomes. We explain how these three theories could complete each other, based on their strong and unique assets. It is imperative that the theories are empirically tested and compared to confirm their utility, and to this end we propose several important research questions that should be addressed in future research. Theory comparisons can advance what is currently known about intrapersonal changes and interpersonal differences in treatment engagement and outcomes in severely mentally ill patients

The effects of motivation feedback in patients with severe mental illness: A cluster randomized controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of providing clinicians with regular feedback on the patient’s motivation for treatment in increasing treatment engagement in patients with severe mental illness.Methods: Design: cluster randomized controlled trial (Dutch Trials Registry NTR2968). Participants: adult outpatients with a primary diagnosis of a psychotic disorder or a personality disorder and their clinicians, treated in 12 community mental health teams (the clusters) of two mental health institutions in the Netherlands. Interventions: monthly motivation feedback (MF) generated by clinicians additional to treatment as usual (TAU) and TAU by the community mental health teams. Primary outcome: treatment engagement at patient level, assessed at 12 months by clinicians. Randomization: teams were allocated to MF or TAU by a computerized randomization program that randomized each team to a single treatment by blocks of varying size. All participants within these teams received similar treatment. Clinicians and patients were not blind to treatment allocation at the 12-month assessment.Results: The 294 randomized patients (148 MF, 146 TAU) and 57 clinicians (29 MF, 28 TAU) of 12 teams (6 MF, 6 TAU) were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. No statistically significant differences between treatment groups on treatment engagement were found (adjusted mean difference =0.1, 95% confidence interval =-2.2 to 2.3, P=0.96, d=0). Preplanned ancillary analyses showed statistically significant interaction effects between treatment group and primary diagnosis on treatment motivation and quality of life (secondary outcomes), which were beneficial for patients with a primary diagnosis of a personality disorder but not for those with a psychotic disorder. There were no reports of adverse events.Conclusion: The current findings imply that monitoring and discussing the patient’s motivation is insufficient to improve motivation and treatment engagement, and suggests that more elaborate interventions for severe mental illness patients are needed