Post-inpatient Attrition from Care “As Usual” in Veterans with Multiple Psychiatric Admissions

Disengagement from outpatient care following psychiatric hospitalization is common in high-utilizing psychiatric patients and contributes to intensive care utilization. To investigate variables related to treatment attrition, a range of demographic, diagnostic, cognitive, social, and behavioral variables were collected from 233 veterans receiving inpatient psychiatric services who were then monitored over the following 2 years. During the follow-up period, 88.0 % (n = 202) of patients disengaged from post-inpatient care. Attrition was associated with male gender, younger age, increased expectations of stigma, less short-term participation in group therapy, and poorer medication adherence. Of those who left care, earlier attrition was predicted by fewer prior-year inpatient psychiatric days, fewer lifetime psychiatric hospitalizations, increased perceived treatment support from family, and less short-term attendance at psychiatrist appointments. Survival analyses were used to analyze the rate of attrition of the entire sample as well as the sample split by short-term group therapy attendance. Implications are discussed

Development of a nonstationary flow device for an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel

Iowa State University researchers are in the process of developing a new wind tunnel. This tunnel will be able to perform a wide range of tests. It will not only be used in an aerodynamic (Aero) test section configuration, but also in an atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) type configuration. It will be able to create a model of the turbulent boundary layer that all structures in the atmosphere are submersed in. The tunnel is designed to utilize both closed return as well as open return tunnel configurations. This will enable the tunnel to reap the benefits of both types of tunnels. Currently most of the ABL studies rely on the assumption that atmospheric velocity variations are adequately modeled by stationary mean and turbulent flow properties. The ISU Aero/ABL tunnel will be able to develop non-stationary flows to help better study and understand this type of phenomena. The primary concern and area of research reported here has been to develop this non-stationary flow device by modeling and testing the design. The results shown reflect that a 107% gust can be achieved by the model, but with some changes to the design, a higher magnitude gust can be achieved

The Orphan Drug Act at 35: Observations and an Outlook for the Twenty-First Century

On the thirty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Orphan Drug Act (ODA), we describe the enormous changes in the markets for therapies for rare diseases that have emerged over recent decades. The most prominent example is the fact that the profit-maximizing price of new orphan drugs appears to be greater today than it was in 1983. All else equal, this should reduce the threshold for research and development (R&D) investment in an economically viable product. Further, the small size of patient populations for orphan drugs, together with the increasing prevalence of biologics among orphan drugs, have created a set of natural monopoly-like markets in which firms face little competition, even after the end of formal periods of patent protection and market exclusivity. Additionally, the evolving technologies of drug development—in particular, the increasingly common use of auxiliary endpoints in clinical trials and the use of biomarkers for patient selection for treatment—now allow manufacturers to target smaller populations. Taken together, these changes raise doubts about whether the ODA encourages the development of products that otherwise would not have been brought to market—or whether, instead, it simply rewards the producers of inframarginal products. After presenting empirical support for our claims of an evolving marketplace, we discuss the tradeoffs associated with reshaping the ODA for the twenty-first century

Genuine Value Pluralism and the Foundations of Liberalism

My dissertation articulates and defends a vision of liberal political theory grounded in genuine value pluralism. Value pluralism, I argue, is best understood as a thesis about the nature of values, not as an observation about the diversity of evaluative beliefs that individuals hold. It should be understood as the claim that values themselves are plural and not all mutually realizable in a single life. Accepting this account of value pluralism offers significant challenges to traditional liberal political theories. However, value pluralism also has wide-ranging, and often surprising, advantages in explaining key tenets of liberal political theory. My dissertation explains the significant advantages of genuine value pluralism while responding to the most pressing challenges it poses

Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on cognitive functioning in youth at ultra-high risk for psychosis: secondary analysis of the NEURAPRO randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairments are well-established features of psychotic disorders and are present when individuals are at ultra-high risk for psychosis. However, few interventions target cognitive functioning in this population. AIMS: To investigate whether omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) supplementation improves cognitive functioning among individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis. METHOD: Data (N = 225) from an international, multi-site, randomised controlled trial (NEURAPRO) were analysed. Participants were given omega-3 supplementation (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) or placebo over 6 months. Cognitive functioning was assessed with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Mixed two-way analyses of variance were computed to compare the change in cognitive performance between omega-3 supplementation and placebo over 6 months. An additional biomarker analysis explored whether change in erythrocyte n-3 PUFA levels predicted change in cognitive performance. RESULTS: The placebo group showed a modest greater improvement over time than the omega-3 supplementation group for motor speed (η$_{p}$$^{2}$ = 0.09) and BACS composite score (η$_{p}$$^{2}$ = 0.21). After repeating the analyses without individuals who transitioned, motor speed was no longer significant (η$_{p}$$^{2}$ = 0.02), but the composite score remained significant (η$_{p}$$^{2}$ = 0.02). Change in erythrocyte n-3 PUFA levels did not predict change in cognitive performance over 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence to support the use of omega-3 supplementation to improve cognitive functioning in ultra-high risk individuals. The biomarker analysis suggests that this finding is unlikely to be attributed to poor adherence or consumption of non-trial n-3 PUFAs

Sitting Postural Control Affects the Development of Focused Attention in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Purpose: To investigate whether focused attention (FA) changes over time as sitting postural control improves and whether an impairment in sitting postural control affects the development of FA in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Nineteen children with CP, mean ages 21.47 months, were assessed for FA and sitting scores pre- and postintervention. Results: Longest, total, and global FA increased and frequency of FA decreased in children who achieved independent sitting. However, children who achieved mobility postintervention exhibited a decrease in longest FA and an increase in frequency of FA. Conclusion: Sitting postural control and the development of FA appear associated in children with CP. The increase in FA may signal a key opportunity for learning and attending to objects. However, the time of early mobility may interrupt these long periods of attention, resulting in less sustained attention to objects

Seasonal variation in mycoflora associated with asymptomatic maize grain from small-holder farms in two provinces of South Africa

Seed quality plays an important role in the establishment of healthy crop stands. The aim of this study was to identify the mycoflora associated with maize grain collected over two growing seasons, one experiencing severe drought, from small-holder farms across KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Eastern Cape (EC), two important provinces with maize producing small-holder farmers in South Africa. Asymptomatic maize ears were collected at harvest during two maize growing seasons from farms located in Hlanganani (KZN), Ntabamhlophe (KZN), KwaNxamalala (KZN), Bizana (EC) and Tabankulu (EC). Maize grain was subjected to seed health tests using the agar plate method. The percentage incidence of fungal species isolated from maize grain was determined with species identities confirmed by ITS sequencing. Nine fungal genera were identified with Fusarium species and Stenocarpella maydis the most prevalent. Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium graminearum and S. maydis were isolated from all sites in both seasons. No fungal species exhibited a higher incidence in the drought season across all sites.  F. graminearum and S. maydis had higher incidences in the wetter season at four and three sites, respectively. F. verticillioides had a greater incidence at the EC sites, particularly the coastal Bizana site. We conclude that local factors have a greater impact than the drought season on the population structure of ear-rot pathogens.  The widespread presence of fungi that are potentially mycotoxin-producing in asymptomatic maize grain poses health risks to consumers and is worthy of further investigation

The Ursinus Weekly, May 12, 1941

College makes award of six open scholarships • Co-eds crown queen before mothers as climax to brilliant Mexican fiesta • Get peanuts, date, & ticket for May hop! • Former Weekly editor receives Pulitzer prize in journalism • Muhlenberg prexy to speak at Varsity Club banquet, May 20 • Y concert to present Morris and violinist on Wednesday • Mrs. Carter calls for defense of democracy • Debating societies to hold annual banquet tomorrow • Seven denominations express their views on \u27unity in diversity\u27 at religious conference • Pre-meds hear Dorrance talk on plastic surgery • \u27Lightnin\u27\u27 has audience in stitches; cast shows talent in characterization • Council inducts Binder as president at annual banquet • Members draw for books at final English Club meeting • Dr. Schinz traces growth of French tongue and culture • Jay-vee nine handed first defeat by Hill School 4-2 • Diplomat cindermen down bears in dual meet Tuesday; Ingham wins lone first • Net squad loses to Drexel and G-burg in week\u27s play • Baseballers hit stride as they conquer G-burg and Lebanon Valley by 3-2 on weekend trip • Co-eds trounce Beaver 4-1 and protect perfect record • Cricketeers lose openerhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1818/thumbnail.jp