Provider-initiated HIV counselling and testing (PICT) in the mentally ill

The prevalence of HIV infection is substantially higher in mentally ill individuals than in the general population. Despite this, HIV testing is not yet standard practice among the mentally ill population, and many mental health settings do not encourage HIV testing. This paper discusses provider-initiated HIV counselling and testing (PICT) and some of the ethical dilemmas associated with it, on the basis that PICT may be used to increase the number of mentally ill persons tested for HIV. The authors conclude that PICT should be promoted to all psychiatric admissions and mentally ill individuals receiving outpatient services, and that this is within the parameters of existing policies and legislations in South Africa

A new 4-D hyperchaotic hidden attractor system: Its dynamics, coexisting attractors, synchronization and microcontroller implementation

In this paper, a simple 4-dimensional hyperchaotic system is introduced. The proposed system has no equilibria points, so it admits hidden attractor which is an interesting feature of chaotic systems. Another interesting feature of the proposed system is the coexisting of attractors where it shows periodic and chaotic coexisting attractors. After introducing the system, the system is analyzed dynamically using numerical and theoretical techniques. In this analysis, Lyapunov exponents and bifurcation diagrams have been used to investigate chaotic and hyperchaotic nature, the ranges of system parameters for different behaviors and the route for chaos and coexisting attractors regions. In the next part of our work, a synchronization control system for two identical systems is designed. The design procedure uses a combination of simple synergetic control with adaptive updating laws to identify the unknown parameters derived basing on Lyapunov theorem. Microcontroller (MCU) based hardware implementation system is proposed and tested by using MATLAB as a display side. As an application, the designed synchronization system is used as a secure analog communication system. The designed MCU system with MATLAB Simulation is used to validate the designed synchronization and secure communication systems and excellent results have been obtained

An analysis of acute admissions to a general hospital psychiatric unit

Rapid turnover of patients in a general hospital psychiatric unit demands stabilization and discharge as soon as possible. It is likely that patients are being prematurely discharged because of this pressure.Aim: The study sought to analyse admissions to an acute psychiatric unit with a view to determining the demographic distribution of the patients, duration of stay, and patterns of substance abuse with specific emphasis on patients discharged within seven days of admission.Method: One hundred and thirty five consecutive patients, 18 years and older, who were admitted to the unit during a three-month period were included in the study. The data was obtained from a questionnaire, completed by the doctor on discharge.Results: Nearly 40% of the patients were discharged within seven days of admission. Most of the patients were youthful, substance abusing males with a past psychiatric history of either an Axis I or a co-morbid Axis II disorder, and had defaulted on their regular follow up.Conclusion: The profile of the short stay admissions suggests that our concerns regarding premature discharge are unjustified.Keywords: Acute admissions, Psychiatric, General hospitalSouth African Psychiatry Review - November 200

Light as the manifestation of the concept of unity in the sacred built form of Islam : a study with reference to the Alhambra, Granada, Spain

Department: Architecture and Design

Preparation of Graphene Oxide from Expanded Graphite at Different Microwave Heating Times

Exfoliated graphite (EG)  was prepared by mixing graphite with HNO3 and KMnO4 at weight ratio 1:2:1 using microwave heating at times 20, 60, 80 and 120 sec. Graphene  oxide (GO) was then prepared using EG as precursor by the modified Hummer’s method. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses  showed successful conversion of EG into GO. The XRD results of the GO showed that the maximum interplanar distance (d-spacing) increased from 0.344 to 0.831 nm. The AFM showed a minimum thickness of  0.519 nm for a single layer of GO prepared from EG 80 sec. The XRD examination also showed an increase in the d-spacing between the GO layers after sonication compared to before sonication

The Effects of Environmental Regulation on the Singapore Stock Market

This study examines the impact of environmental regulation on the Singapore stock market using the event study methodology. Several asset pricing models are used to estimate sectoral abnormal returns. Additionally, we estimate the change in systematic risk after the introduction of the carbon tax and related regulation. We conduct various robustness tests, including the Corrado non-parametric ranking test, the Chesney non-parametric conditional distribution approach, a representation of market integration, and Fama–French five-factor model. We find evidence showing that the environmental regulations tend to achieve their desired effects in Singapore in which several big polluters (including industrial metals and mining, forestry and papers, and electrical equipment and services) were negatively affected by the announcements of environmental regulations and carbon tax. In addition, our results indicate that the electricity sector, one of the biggest polluters, was negatively affected by the announcement of environmental regulations and carbon tax. We also find that environmental regulations seem to boost the performance of environmentally-friendly sectors whereby we find the alternative energy industry (focusing on new renewable energy technologies) experienced a sizeable positive reaction following the announcements of these regulations

Strengthening of district mental health services in Gauteng Province, South Africa

In response to the Life Esidimeni tragedy, the Gauteng Department of Health established a task team to advise on the implementation of the Health Ombud’s recommendations and to develop a mental health recovery plan. Consistent with international human rights and South African legislation and policy, the plan focused on making mental healthcare more accessible, incorporating a strategy to strengthen district mental health services to deliver community-based care for people with any type and severity of mental illness. The strategy included an organogram with three new human resource teams integrated into the district health system: a district specialist mental health team to develop a public mental health approach, a clinical community psychiatry team for service delivery, and a team to support non-governmental organisation governance. This article discusses the strategy in terms of guiding policies and legislation, the roles and responsibilities of the various teams in the proposed organogram, and its sustainability

Preparing healthcare facilities to operate safely and effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic: The missing piece in the puzzle

The stated objective of the COVID-19 lockdown was to allow time to prepare healthcare facilities. Preparation must include administrative and environmental measures, which when combined with personal protective equipment, minimise the risk of the spread of infection to patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) in facilities, allowing HCWs to safely provide essential services during the pandemic and limit the indirect effects of COVID-19 caused by healthcare disruption. We present our model for facility preparation based on colour-coded zones, social distancing, hand hygiene, rapid triage and separate management of symptomatic patients, and attention to infection transmission prevention between HCWs in communal staff areas. This model specifically addresses the challenges in preparing a facility for COVID-19 in a low-resource setting and in rural areas. In addition, we include links to resources to allow workers in low-resource settings to prepare their facilities adequately

Market conditions, trader types and price–volume relation in energy futures markets

We investigate the asymmetric relations between trading volume and price changes, and trading volume and price volatility of energy futures contracts across maturities and under different market conditions. Using a relatively long sample of daily observations, we examine whether the impact of trading volume on returns and volatility of futures contracts can be time-varying and dependent on the market condition. We differentiate the market condition based on the slope of the forward curve into backwardation and contango. The results indicate that trading volume and returns are positively related when the market is in backwardation and negatively related when the market is in contango. In addition, the positive relation between changes in trading volume and volatility of futures contracts seem to be stronger when the market is in backwardation than when it is in contango. Finally, the results indicate that, to a certain extent, trade participation and trading activities of agents in energy futures markets can be explained by the slope of the forward curve which reflects the market condition and sentiment