Difficulties in early ice detection with the Small Ice Detector 2 HIAPER (SID-2H) in maritime cumuli

© Copyright 2014 American Meteorological Society (AMS).The Small Ice Detector 2 HIAPER (SID-2H) was used to attempt to detect small ice particles in the early stages of ice formation in the high liquid water environment of tropical maritime cumulus clouds sampled during the Ice in Clouds Experiment - Tropical (ICE-T) field campaign. Its performance in comparison to other probes, and the development of new corrections applied to the data, are presented. The SID-2H detected small ice crystals among larger particles. It correctly identified water drops, and discriminated between round and irregular particle shapes in water-dominated clouds with errors less than 5%. Remaining uncertainties in the sensing volume, and the volume over which coincidence of particles occurred, result in the data being used here in a qualitative manner to identify the presence of ice, its habits and sizes.Peer reviewe

The nature and correlates of paid and unpaid work among service users of London Community Mental Health Teams

Aims Little is known about how the rates and characteristics of mental health service users in unpaid work, training and study compare with those in paid employment. Methods: From staff report and patient records, 1353 mental health service users of seven Community Mental Health Teams in two London boroughs were categorised as in paid work, unpaid vocational activity or no vocational activity. Types of work were described using Standard Occupational Classifications. The characteristics of each group were reported and associations with vocational status were explored. Results: Of the sample, 5.5% were in paid work and 12.7% were in unpaid vocational activity, (including 5.3% in voluntary work and 8.1% in study or training). People in paid work were engaged in a broader range of occupations than those in voluntary work and most in paid work (58.5%) worked part-time. Younger age and high educational attainment characterised both groups. Having sustained previous employment was most strongly associated with being in paid work. Conclusions: Rates of vocational activity were very low. Results did not suggest a clear clinical distinction between those in paid and unpaid activity.The motivations for and functions of unpaid work need further research

Home treatment as an alternative to hospital admission for mothers in a mental health crisis: A qualitative study.

This study explored the experiences, treatment preferences, and needs of mothers of dependent children who were treated at home as an alternative to hospital admission for an acute severe mental health crisis. Methods: In this qualitative study, mothers were recruited who were treated by one of four crisis resolution teams in two inner London boroughs. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 mothers and five of their children. Transcripts were coded by thematic analysis to extract relevant themes. Results: Home treatment provided good patient care, but most participants felt that they struggled to parent adequately and to meet their children’s needs. Common difficulties included meeting the children’s physical needs, feeling emotionally distant, being dependent on children during the crisis, and struggling to protect the children from exposure to symptoms or distress. Most mothers preferred home treatment to hospital admission, because they felt safer and better looked after at home. However, most children preferred parental hospital admission, because it relieved the children of distress and responsibility. Mothers were reluctant to seek help with parenting from professionals because of fears of custody loss. Conclusions: Home treatment for female patients with child care responsibility meets patients’ needs, but their children may be exposed to additional risks and currently lack appropriate support. The needs of children should be considered in the planning of home treatment for psychiatric crises

A Rigorous Approach to the Feynman-Vernon Influence Functional and its Applications. I

A rigorous representation of the Feynman-Vernon influence functional used to describe open quantum systems is given, based on the theory of infinite dimensional oscillatory integrals. An application to the case of the density matrices describing the Caldeira-Leggett model of two quantum systems with a quadratic interaction is treated

Measurement of transient smoke emissions from diesel and biodiesel fuel blends in an agricultural tractor

Transient smoke emissions pose potential hazards to human health and the environment. With the increased popularity of biodiesel, there is a need to determine if these fuels produce different levels of particulate matter in exhaust emissions. This study examined the transient smoke emissions of three fuels: No. 2 petroleum diesel fuel (D2, ASTM D 975), a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel (B20, ASTM 6751), and a 100% pure biodiesel derived from animal fats (B100, ASTM D 6751). Measurements of smoke emissions were taken using the SAE J1677 snap acceleration test procedure on a John Deere 3203 compact utility tractor. The results indicate there were no statistically significant differences in smoke opacity between the three fuels (p\u3e0.05). The low, non-significant emissions may be due to the diesel engine being EPA Tier II-compliant and the use of ultra-low-sulfur diesel. Recommendations for further study include testing biofuels made of varying feed stocks rather than animal fats, testing steady state load conditions in addition to transient loads, and testing tractors manufactured prior to initiation of EPA tier-compliance standard

Experiences of Mental Health Care Among Women Treated for Postpartum Psychosis in England: A Qualitative Study

Postpartum psychosis has been found to affect 0.89-2.6 per 1000 women. Onset is typically rapid and severe. Early recognition and appropriate treatment are crucial for a good prognosis. Our aim in this study was to understand women's experiences of mental health care and services for psychosis in the postnatal period. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 women who reported being treated for postpartum psychosis. Findings were analysed thematically. Women reported that healthcare professionals across maternity and mental health services often lacked awareness and knowledge of postpartum psychosis and did not always keep them or their partners/families informed, supported, and involved. Women wanted better collaboration between and within services, and more efficient, appropriate, and timely care. They valued inpatient services that could meet their needs, favouring Mother and Baby Units over general psychiatric wards. Early Intervention in Psychosis services and specialist perinatal community mental health teams were also well liked

Increasing Skin Infections and Staphylococcus aureus Complications in Children, England, 1997-2006

During 1997-2006, general practitioner consultations for skin conditions for children <18 years of age in England increased 19%, from 128.5 to 152.9/1,000 child-years, and antistaphylococcal drug prescription rates increased 64%, from 17.8 to 29.1/1,000 child-years. During the same time period, hospital admissions for Staphylococcus aureus infections rose 49% from 53.4 to 79.3/100,000 child-years.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Review: Systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative literature on young people's experiences of going to A&amp;E/emergency departments for mental health support

Background: There has been an increase in children and young people attending emergency departments for mental health reasons, including self‐harm. Patients often report having poor experiences when attending emergency departments for mental health support. However, there has yet to be a review exploring the experiences of young people. Our aim in this study was to synthesise qualitative literature on young people's experiences of going to emergency departments for mental health support. Methods: A systematic review and metasynthesis were conducted. Five databases and grey literature were searched for relevant studies. Five articles met study criteria and were analysed using an iterative process of thematic synthesis. Results: The synthesis yielded four overarching themes: (a) emergency departments' inability to meet the mental health needs of young people, (b) emergency departments exacerbating patient distress, (c) patients feeling like a burden or undeserving of treatment and (d) consequences of poor emergency department experiences. Conclusions: These findings (based on a still very limited literature) highlight the role that emergency departments have in relation to being a key point of contact with young people who self‐harm. To properly engage with patients, emergency departments need to have the resources to provide compassionate care and follow clinical guidelines regarding assessments