The Role of Group Psychotherapy in Psychiatric Residency Training

Group psychotherapy has become a well-recognized treatment modality in the mental health field. Educationally, however, group psychotherapy has not reached the priority level it deserves. We described our experiences in using group psychotherapy as a training tool at the University of Texas at Houston. In describing our program, we used case illustrations to better demonstrate the richness of our training experiences. Group psychotherapy should be more extensively used in the training of tomorrow’s mental health professionals

Eradication of uneconomical fishes with simple gill nets at Hirakud reservoir

Experiments with simple gill nets of mesh bar 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 mm were carried out to determine the suitable mesh size for the eradication of the uneconomical fishes of Hirakud reservoir. Results show that net with 25 mm bar is more suitable particularly for Gudusia chapra (Ham), Rohtee cotio (Day) and Eutropichthys vacha (Ham)

Stick held drag net for shore line fishes of reservoirs

Observations on the use of stick held drag nets for the removal of shore line fish, which adversely affect the growth of commercially important species in reservoirs, are presented

A case of successful treatment of Skin Excoriation Disorder with N-Acetyl Cysteine

Introduction: We present a case of a middle age patient with skin excoriation disorder since age 15 who experienced significant improvement with augmentation of her treatment regimen with N-acetyl cysteine. This improvement occurred despite a recurrence of her depression, alcohol use disorder, and stimulant use disorder. Case Presentation: A 59 year-old-female with 44 years of unsuccessful treatment of self-excoriation disorder presented with symptoms of unspecified depression, OCD and stimulant use disorder. She was referred by her surgeon who had to postpone a revision of her hip replacement as she was self-excoriating the right axillary lymphadenectomy site. Initial administration of PHQ-9 revealed a score of 20. She was diagnosed with right breast cancer over 10 years ago, status post radical mastectomy of the right breast. She had episodes of extended sobriety and still had skin picking. She had been using cocaine and alcohol for the past couple of years, even though she was involved in out-patient treatment. It was difficult to cope with her current psychosocial situation which made it difficult for her to maintain sobriety. She continued to pick on her surgical site, which caused her wounds to remain fresh and sore. She self-reported that she struggled with efforts not to pick her skin and even attempted to wear gloves on her hands at bedtime to prevent herself from picking through the night. The patient had been taking paroxetine 60mg per day which she reported had helped. This medication was therefore continued as previously prescribed. We initiated N-acetyl cysteine as it has been shown to have improved skin picking in patients. (1) N-acetyl cysteine was initiated at 1200mg per day, titrating this to 2400mg per day. Also, the patient was referred for CBT and was continued for outpatient cocaine addiction treatment. Given this combination of treatment, the patient showed significant improvement in of her skin picking. She self-reported doing well, going on for months without picking at of her wound. On examination, her wound appeared to be healing significantly and there was noticeable improvement compared to initial examination. There has been significant improvement on the surgical site as observed during the subsequent three monthly follow ups. Conclusion: In light of limited treatment options, the trial of N-acetyl cysteine in patients that suffer from this significantly stressful condition would be beneficial. References: 1. Psychopharmacology: N-Acetylcysteine May Help Patients Resist Urge to Pick Skin Nick Zagorski Published online: April 01, 201

Centering High Risk Pregnancies Interprofessionaly (CHRPI) to Reduce Racial Disparities in Pregnancy Outcomes

Background: Despite the steady rise in use of prenatal care, significant racial disparities exist in pregnancy-related outcomes. This calls for innovative prenatal care to improve pregnancy outcomes in racial minorities. CHRPI is an innovative prenatal care model designed to address risk factors and manageable conditions particularly prevalent in African Americans that threaten their course of pregnancy. Methods: CHRPI is an outpatient model (Fig. 1) that will accept pregnant moms with risk-factors outlined by the ACOG. They are initially evaluated by a Maternal Fetal Medicine physician where management is outlined. Then, patients are placed in groups of 4 according to their expected course of pregnancy, social, and medical needs. Between medical appointments, patients will attend sessions facilitated by a multidisciplinary team to receive education on nutrition, insulin management, alarming symptoms and more. Additionally, patients will have opportunity to address individual social and medical needs with licensed clinical social workers and mid-level providers outside of groups. Lastly, CHRPI’s care extends as far as 6 months postpartum to reassess newly diagnosed conditions or risk-factors to protect future pregnancies and establish primary care upon exiting the program. Results: Compared to traditional care of high-risk patients (Fig. 2), proposed CHRPI model is expected to decrease rate of maternal and infant mortality, pre-term birth, NICU admissions, and patient satisfaction. Conclusion: CHRPI aims to reduce racial disparities in maternal and infant mortalities associated with high-risk pregnancies by utilizing an innovative multidisciplinary group approach with significant emphasis on nutrition, education, and primary care to protect future pregnancies.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1100/thumbnail.jp

Estimation of fish production from Hirakud reservoir

A suitable procedure based broadly on stratified random sampling for estimation of fish production from Hirakud reservoir is described. The total fish production for the years 1978 and 1979 from Hirakud reservoir, along with seasonal variation of different species is discussed

Physical, Mechanical Properties and Oil Content of Selected Indigenous Seeds Available for Biodiesel Production in Bangladesh

This study identifies the physical and mechanical properties and oil contents of seeds of four indigenous plants in Bangladesh, namely the Jatropha, Karanj, Castor, and Rubber. Physical properties such as length, width, thickness, slender ratio, weight and bulk density were measured to find out the size, shape and space required by the seeds. Mechanical properties like hardness and crushing strength of the seeds were determined as well. All these properties are necessary for processing and storage of the seeds for oil extraction. Hardness and crushing strength of the seeds were measured by a Manual Hardness Tester. Oil content was measured by chemical method (Cold percolation method). Among the four types of seeds, Rubber seed was the largest with a length of 21.15 mm followed by Karanj 17.88 mm, Jatropha 17.05 mm and Castor 11.76 mm. The slender ratio of Jatropha, Karanj, Castor and Rubber seeds were found to be 1.78, 1.24, 1.87 and 1.13 respectively. Jatropha and Castor seeds had similar cylindrical shape with rounded tips. Karanj seed was found to be circular and flat. Shape of the Rubber seed was rectangular, inflated but slightly flattened in thickness. Rubber seed was the heaviest (4.31 g), as its size was also biggest followed by Karanj (1.19 g), Jatropha (0.76 g) and Castor (0.19 g), respectively. Hardness were found to be 2.69, 1.87, 1.70 and 8.56 kg for Jatropha, Castor, Karanj and Rubber seeds while crushing strength were 38.08, 26.56, 24.06 and 121.16 kg/cm2, respectively. The oil contents of Jatropha, Karanj, Castor and Rubber seeds were 32.36%, 31.75%, 67.67%, 38.96% by weight respectively. All the four types of seeds contain satisfactory amount of oil which can be extracted commercially and checked for their suitability for the production of biodiesel

Recommendations for computer modeling codes to support the UMTRA groundwater restoration project

The Uranium Mill Tailings Remediation Action (UMTRA) Project is responsible for the assessment and remedial action at the 24 former uranium mill tailings sites located in the US. The surface restoration phase, which includes containment and stabilization of the abandoned uranium mill tailings piles, has a specific termination date and is nearing completion. Therefore, attention has now turned to the groundwater restoration phase, which began in 1991. Regulated constituents in groundwater whose concentrations or activities exceed maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) or background levels at one or more sites include, but are not limited to, uranium, selenium, arsenic, molybdenum, nitrate, gross alpha, radium-226 and radium-228. The purpose of this report is to recommend computer codes that can be used to assist the UMTRA groundwater restoration effort. The report includes a survey of applicable codes in each of the following areas: (1) groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling codes, (2) hydrogeochemical modeling codes, (3) pump and treat optimization codes, and (4) decision support tools. Following the survey of the applicable codes, specific codes that can best meet the needs of the UMTRA groundwater restoration program in each of the four areas are recommended

Efficiency of two designs of trawls in Hirakud Reservoir

High opening trawl was found to be effective for the exploitation of bottom and off bottom fishes from Hirakud reservoir compared to bulged belly trawl

The Informal Sector in Bangladesh: A Case Study of Rural and Urban Street Vendors

he informal sector contributes significantly to the overall economy of many countries including Bangladesh. Heightened unemployment rate coupled with widespread poverty has led street vendors progressively to become a prevalent informal group in Bangladesh. Studies on street vending in Bangladesh are very limited. The present study was carried out to address some important gaps in the existing literature. Principally, it examines the socio-demographic features of the street vendors in Bangla desh. Then, it portrays an economic sketch of the street vending profession. Finally, it looks at the threats, insecurities and sup ports associated with street vending in Bangladesh. A structured questionnaire survey was administered in both rural and urban areas of 33 districts (out of 64). The size of the sample was 777. It was found that mostly the illiterate younger males with a larger family size are predominantly engaged in different trades of street vending. Despite having potentials, street vending cannot be la beled as decent entrepreneurship as investments, income and savings of the vendors are minimal. The government does not have any specific measure for supporting their entrepreneurship development rather it often adopts harsh measures against street vendors. Few recommendations have been put in place to over come the obstacles in this sector.Institute for Social and Health Studies (ISHS