Margins of safety and instability in a macrodynamic model with Minskyan insights

This paper develops a stock-flow consistent macrodynamic model in which firms’ and banks’ desired margins of safety play a central role in macroeconomic performance. The model incorporates an active banking sector and pays particular attention to the leverage of both firms and banks. It is shown that the endogenous change in the desired margins of safety of firms and banks is likely to transform an otherwise stable debt-burdened economy into an unstable one. The endogeneity of the desired margins of safety can also produce, under certain conditions, investment and leverage cycles during which investment and leverage move both in the same and in the opposite direction. Furthermore, the paper investigates the potential stabilising role of fiscal policy. It is indicated that fiscal policy can reduce the destabilising forces in the macroeconomy when government expenditures adjust adequately to variations in the divergence between the actual and the desired margins of safety

Hur pedagoger i förskola och förskoleklass använder sig av pedagogisk dokumentation

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Exercise effects on cognitive functioning in young adults with first-episode psychosis: FitForLife

AbstractBackgroundExercise has mood-enhancing effects and can improve cognitive functioning, but the effects in first-episode psychosis (FEP) remain understudied. We examined the feasibility and cognitive effects of exercise in FEP.MethodMulti-center, open-label intervention study. Ninety-one outpatients with FEP (mean age = 30 years, 65% male) received usual care plus a 12-week supervised circuit-training program, consisting of high-volume resistance exercises, aerobic training, and stretching. Primary study outcome was cognitive functioning assessed by Cogstate Brief Battery (processing speed, attention, visual learning, working memory) and Trailmaking A and B tasks (visual attention and task shifting). Within-group changes in cognition were assessed using paired sample t tests with effect sizes (Hedges’ g) reported for significant values. Relationships between exercise frequency and cognitive improvement were assessed using analysis of covariance. Moderating effects of gender were explored with stratified analyses.ResultsParticipants exercised on average 13.5 (s.d. = 11.7) times. Forty-eight percent completed 12 or more sessions. Significant post-intervention improvements were seen for processing speed, visual learning, and visual attention; all with moderate effect sizes (g = 0.47–0.49, p &lt; 0.05). Exercise participation was also associated with a positive non-significant trend for working memory (p &lt; 0.07). Stratified analyses indicated a moderating effect of gender. Positive changes were seen among females only for processing speed, visual learning, working memory, and visual attention (g = 0.43–0.69). A significant bivariate correlation was found between total training frequency and improvements in visual attention among males (r = 0.40, p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionSupported physical exercise is a feasible and safe adjunct treatment for FEP with potential cognitive benefits, especially among females.</jats:sec

Exercise effects on cognitive functioning in young adults with first-episode psychosis : FitForLife

Background: Exercise has mood-enhancing effects and can improve cognitive functioning, but the effects in first-episode psychosis (FEP) remain understudied. We examined the feasibility and cognitive effects of exercise in FEP. Method: Multi-center, open-label intervention study. Ninety-one outpatients with FEP (mean age = 30 years, 65% male) received usual care plus a 12-week supervised circuit-training program, consisting of high-volume resistance exercises, aerobic training, and stretching. Primary study outcome was cognitive functioning assessed by Cogstate Brief Battery (processing speed, attention, visual learning, working memory) and Trailmaking A and B tasks (visual attention and task shifting). Within-group changes in cognition were assessed using paired sample t tests with effect sizes (Hedges’ g) reported for significant values. Relationships between exercise frequency and cognitive improvement were assessed using analysis of covariance. Moderating effects of gender were explored with stratified analyses. Results: Participants exercised on average 13.5 (S.D. = 11.7) times. Forty-eight percent completed 12 or more sessions. Significant post-intervention improvements were seen for processing speed, visual learning, and visual attention; all with moderate effect sizes (g = 0.47–0.49, p < 0.05). Exercise participation was also associated with a positive non-significant trend for working memory (p < 0.07). Stratified analyses indicated a moderating effect of gender. Positive changes were seen among females only for processing speed, visual learning, working memory, and visual attention (g = 0.43–0.69). A significant bivariate correlation was found between total training frequency and improvements in visual attention among males (r = 0.40, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Supported physical exercise is a feasible and safe adjunct treatment for FEP with potential cognitive benefits, especially among females

Patient-controlled admissions to inpatient care : A twelve-month naturalistic study of patients with schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses and the effects on admissions to and days in inpatient care

Background: Patients with schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses have a poor prognostic outlook and rates of recovery. Inpatient care is common, but the decision to initiate such care is not solely up to the patient but also influenced by the healthcare providers. Recent ideas about shared decision-making however challenges this idea. Patient-Controlled Admissions (PCA) refers to a care model where a patient signs a contract that allows the decision for admission into inpatient care to be transferred onto the patient. Methods: In Region Stockholm's public healthcare PCA was introduced to patients with schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses deemed to have the greatest care needs. Outcomes of a 12-month naturalistic within-group follow-up was analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: In total, 56 patients fulfilled the study's inclusion criteria, with between 20 to 42 patients having complete data and being able to analyze statistically, depending on the variable. Number of admissions, inpatient days, number of involuntary admissions, and involuntary admission days decreased, but only significantly so for inpatient days, p &lt; .01 (a mean reduction of 11.5 days). Neither self-rated well-being, as assessed using the EQ5D-3L, or a clinician-administered rating of overall health status, the Clinical Global Impression Scale, demonstrated a significant change. Conclusions: The use of PCA points towards a trend in decreased hospitalization for patients with schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses, although this needs to be explored further in larger samples and over a longer follow-up