Can cognitive insight predict symptom remission in a first episode psychosis cohort?

BACKGROUND: The outcome of first episode psychosis (FEP) is highly variable and difficult to predict. Cognitive insight measured at illness onset has previously been found to predict psychopathology 12-months later. The aims of this study were to examine whether the prospective relationship between cognitive insight and symptom severity is evident at four-years following FEP and to examine some psychological correlates of cognitive insight. METHODS: FEP participants (n = 90) completed the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) at illness onset, and associations between BCIS scores with symptom severity outcomes (4-years after FEP) were assessed. The BCIS scales (self-reflectiveness and self-certainty) were examined as a composite score, and individually compared to other cognitive measures (IQ and jumping to conclusions (JTC) bias). RESULTS: Regression analyses revealed that the cognitive insight composite did not predict 4-year symptom remission in this study while the self-reflection subscale of the BCIS predicted severity of symptoms at 4-years. Self-certainty items of the BCIS were not associated with symptom severity. Significant correlations between the JTC bias, self-certainty and IQ were found, but self-reflection did not correlate with these other cognitive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reflective capacity is a more relevant and independent cognitive construct than self-certainty for predicting prospective symptom severity in psychosis. Improving self-reflection may be a useful target for early intervention research

A new design for imaging of fast energetic electrons

We report on an essentially improved version of the classical Eppink–Parker velocity map imaging spectrometer design (Rev. Sci. Instrum. 68, 3477 (1997)). By adding electrostatic lenses with an opposite polarity to the extraction system we succeeded in extending the range of detection of energetic particles up to the keV regime at moderate (<20 kV) extraction voltage conditions. Simulations show that the electrostatic lens system acts in analogy to an achromatic lens in optics and leads to a reduction in the chromatic energy aberration. For comparison to other setups a transmission parameter of the extraction system is defined denoting the maximum kinetic energies of particles which can be analyzed. Detector size and spectrometer length only enter via geometry, that is the straight trajectories in the subsequent field-free particle drift. With respect to Eppink–Parker the energy range has been extended by a factor of 2.5. Moreover, particle trajectory simulations demonstrate that the energy resolution can be improved by about 20%. To test the performance, photoemission studies have been conducted to resolve above-threshold-ionization patterns from Xe atoms exposed to intense ultrashort laser pulses as well as single photon ionization of Ne atoms using tunable synchrotron radiation with photon energies up to 600 eV

A scoping review of empirical evidence on the impacts of the DRG introduction in Germany and Switzerland

Germany and Switzerland have introduced diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) for hospital reimbursement. This scoping review aims to evaluate if empirical evidence exists on the effect of the DRG introduction.; Medline via PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL, PsychINFO, and Psyndex were systematically screened for studies from 2003 onwards using keywords-DRG, prospective payment system, and lump sum-in English, German, and French. Abstracts were screened for alignment with our inclusion criteria and classified as editorial/commentary, review, or empirical study. The full-text extraction included data on country, study design, collected data, study population, specialty, comparison group, and outcome measures.; Our literature search yielded 1944 references, of which 1405 references were included in the abstract screening after removal of duplicates. 135 articles were relevant to DRG, including 94 editorials/comments/reviews and 41 empirical articles from 36 different samples. The most frequently used outcome parameters were length of stay (12), reimbursement/cost (9), and case numbers (9).; Only a minority of identified articles (30.4%; 41 of 135) presented empirical data. This indicates that discussion on the topic is not totally evidence-based. The only common trend was a decrease in length of stay

Pb 4f Photoelectron Spectroscopy on Mass-Selected Anionic Lead Clusters at FLASH

4f core level photoelectron spectroscopy has been performed on negatively charged lead clusters, in the size range of 10–90 atoms. We deploy4.7 nm radiation from the free-electron laser FLASH, yielding sufficiently high photon flux to investigate mass-selected systems in a beam. A new photoelectron detection system based on a hemispherical spectrometer and a time-resolving delayline detector makes it possible to assign electron signals to each micropulse of FLASH. The resulting 4f binding energies show good agreement with the metallic sphere model, giving evidence for a fast screening of the 4f core holes. By comparing the present work with previous 5d and valence region data, the paper presents a comprehensive overview of the energetics of lead clusters, from atoms to bulk. Special care is taken to discuss the differences of the valenceandcore-level anion cluster photoionizations. Whereas in the valence case the escaping photoelectron interacts with a neutral system near its ground state, core-level ionization leads to transiently highly excited neutral clusters. Thus, the photoelectron signal might carry information on the relaxation dynamics