Wood in psychiatric in-patient rooms may reduce the length of stay for patients

Objective – To outline a study of healthcare outcomes for psychiatric patients within an in-patient psychiatric ward. The planned study was initiated as a follow-up of the design process, where emphasis was made to use interior surfaces of wood in a new Swedish psychiatric building. Background –The influence of the physical environment for treatment outcomes within somatic care has been acknowledge for decades. Today there is also a growing amount of research within the field of psychiatric health facilities. View of, and access to, nature have shown to be of major importance. Recent research suggests that wood in patient rooms may have a healing effect. Research question – Does the use of wood in psychiatric in-patient rooms have positive health outcomes, such as reduced length of stay for patients and reduced stress levels? Method – The quantitative study will be executed in a new Swedish psychiatric building with 96 in-patient rooms in 4 wards. Each ward is divided into modules (6 patients/module). The study has a comparative approach: treatment outcomes in a module where patient rooms with wood covered facade-walls (n=2) will be compared to rooms with painted plaster façade-walls (n=2) and artificial wood panels (n=2). Patients in the module, intended for a special but general diagnosis, will be placed randomly in rooms with or without wood surfaces. All patient rooms are én-suite rooms. The staff is identical between rooms. All patient rooms have identical orientation. Results – An outline of a study in a psychiatric hospital is presented. This includes aspects related to research design, participation from patients, ethical considerations and statistical power of the planned experiment. Final outcomes from the study will be carried out after the new psychiatric building is inaugurated in 2020. Conclusion – Choice of building material can be an important measure to include in the design of health facilities. The study will provide new insights into what materials can be used and how they should be used to maximise possible beneficial health effects. Several aspects of architectural design can influence users in the built environment. Thus, there can be confounding factors influencing patients´ health and psychological well-being.publishedVersio

Nonlinear wave interaction and spin models in the MHD regime

Here we consider the influence on the electron spin in the MHD regime. Recently developed models which include spin-velocity correlations are taken as a starting point. A theoretical argument is presented, suggesting that in the MHD regime a single fluid electron model with spin correlations is equivalent to a model with spin-up and spin-down electrons constituting different fluids, but where the spin-velocity correlations are omitted. Three wave interaction of 2 shear Alfven waves and a compressional Alfven wave is then taken as a model problem to evaluate the asserted equivalence. The theoretical argument turns out to be supported, as the predictions of the two models agree completely. Furthermore, the three wave coupling coefficients obey the Manley-Rowe relations, which give further support to the soundness of the models and the validity of the assumptions made in the derivation. Finally we point out that the proposed two-fluid model can be incorporated in standard Particle-In-Cell schemes with only minor modifications.Comment: 8 page

Авторське право і суміжні права : зб. нормат.-прав. актів

До збірника увішли укази президента України, постанови та розпоря- дження Кабинету Міністрів України, відомчі нормативні аки, що стосуються авторського права і суміжних прав, а також нормативні документи з інтелек- туальної власності ДВНЗ «Національний гірничий університет». Розраховано на науково-педагогічних працівників, аспірантів і студентів вищих навчальних закладів усіх спеціальностей. Може бути використаний пра- цівниками правоохоронних та органів державної виконавчої влади, юрисконсу- льтами та всіма, хто цікавиться питаннями правового регулювання відносин у сфері авторського права і суміжних прав

Psychiatric ward design can reduce aggressive behavior

The article describes a conceptual model proposing that aggression in psychiatric facilities may be reduced by designing the physical environment with ten evidence-grounded stress-reducing features. The model was tested in a newer hospital in Sweden having wards with nine of the ten features. Data on two clinical markers of aggressive behavior, compulsory injections and physical restraints, were compared with data from an older facility (replaced by the newer hospital) that had only one stress-reducing feature. Another hospital with one feature, which did not change during the study period, served as a control. The proportion of patients requiring injections declined (p < 0.0027) in the new hospital compared to the old facility but did not change in the control hospital. Among patients who received injections, the average number of injections declined marginally in the new hospital compared to the old facility, but increased in the control hospital by 19%. The average number of physical restraints (among patients who received at least one) decreased 50% in the new hospital compared to the old. These findings suggest that designing better psychiatric buildings using reasoned theory and the best available evidence can reduce the major patient and staff safety threat posed by aggressive behavior

The Fennoscandian Shield deep terrestrial virosphere suggests slow motion 'boom and burst' cycles

The deep biosphere contains members from all three domains of life along with viruses. Here we investigate the deep terrestrial virosphere by sequencing community nucleic acids from three groundwaters of contrasting chemistries, origins, and ages. These viromes constitute a highly unique community compared to other environmental viromes and sequenced viral isolates. Viral host prediction suggests that many of the viruses are associated with Firmicutes and Patescibacteria, a superphylum lacking previously described active viruses. RNA transcript-based activity implies viral predation in the shallower marine water-fed groundwater, while the deeper and more oligotrophic waters appear to be in 'metabolic standby'. Viral encoded antibiotic production and resistance systems suggest competition and antagonistic interactions. The data demonstrate a viral community with a wide range of predicted hosts that mediates nutrient recycling to support a higher microbial turnover than previously anticipated. This suggests the presence of 'kill-the-winner' oscillations creating slow motion 'boom and burst' cycles. Karin Holmfeldt et al. sequence metagenomes and metatranscriptomes of viruses in deep groundwaters down to 448m below the surface. The results reveal ecological dynamics of viruses including slow motion 'boom and burst' cycles and a 'kill the winner' model potentially driven by viral predation