Inpatient Treatment of Children and Adolescents

The report reviews the literature from 1975 to 2001. Conclusions from the report indicate that parental involvement is highly correlated with successful outcomes. Length of stay is not correlated with successful outcomes. Generally, extended hospitalizations provide little added benefit over shorter inpatient programs. Follow-up with community mental health is highly correlated with successful outcomes and is an integral part of maintaining goals. The therapeutic alliance is positively correlated with successful outcomes. Placement may exacerbate the sense of failure and anger, and create a sense of loss of connectedness to the family. Inpatient and residential treatment does not seem any more effective than day treatment, multi-systemic treatment, or community mental health services and is more costly. Inpatient care is generally thought of as a part of a comprehensive treatment program that includes continued treatment as an outpatient following discharge from the inpatient facility. Programs should include a focus on family involvement and establishing good therapeutic alliances. Extended hospitalization should be avoided in favor of intense community-based support and treatment, supported by brief inpatient hospitalizations with coordinated aftercare.c. 2001 State of Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services May be reproduced in original for

Group Care of Children and Adolescents

This literature review sought the answers to three questions regarding group care for children and adolescents: Question 1: Is there empirical literature that supports the "best practices" idea that family foster care is better than group home care? According to the review, the answer to this question is a "strong yes." The empirical base found family foster care significantly more effective on a number of outcomes with a variety of groups of children. Question 2: Is there empirical literature that says certain types of children do better in group homes than in family foster homes? No well-designed studies were located to answer this question conclusively. However, the author discussed studies conducted with high risk chronic juvenile offenders and reasoned that if chronic juvenile offenders can be better served in family foster care than in group care, it stands to reason that the same is true of other high-risk children with similar problems. Question 3: If group homes might be better for some children, or if we are always going to have group homes due to "nowhere else to go," which types of group homes programs (treatment models) have shown to be effective for which types of children? Few outcome studies were found that used a rigorous research method to show program curriculums that were effective. The author cites 5 models of group home programming; 4 models show promise and include the Teaching Family Model (Kirigan, 2001); Father Flanagan's Boy's Home Model (Thompson, Smith, Oswood Dowd, Friman, & Daly, 1996); The REPARE model (Landsman, Groza, Tyler, & Molone, 2001); and "Schema" (Bass, Dosser, & Powerll, 2000). "Positive Peer Culture" was identified as an ineffective approach by former recipients in the juvenile correctional system (Kapp, 2000). References: 1.Bass, L., Dosser, D., Powerll, J. (2000). Celebrating change: A schema for family-centered practice in residential settings. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 17, 123-137. 2. Landsman, M., Groza, V., Tyler, M., and Malone, K. (2001). Outcomes of family centered residential treatment. Child Welfare League of America, 50, 351-378. 3. Kapp, S. (2000). Positive Peer Culture: The viewpoint of former clients. Journal of Adolescent Group Therapy, 10, 175-189. 4.Kirigin, K. (2001). The teaching family model: A replicable system of care. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 18, 99-110. 5.Thompson, R., Smith G., Oswood D., Dowd T., Friman P., & Daly D. (1996). Residential care: A study of short and long-term educational effects. Children and Youth Services, 18, 221-241.c. 2002 State of Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services May be reproduced in original for

Part I - Controlling the Soil Moisture Environment of Transpiring Plants, Part II - Prediction of Leaf Temperature Under Natural Atmospheric Conditions

Part I A technique for controlling the soil moisture potential in the root zone of transpiring plants was developed. The method uses the principles of unsaturated flow through a porous media to develop the desired moisture potential. In the case of non-steady state transpiration, the maximum possible fluctuation in the soil moisture potential can be determined by the techniques presented. Part II Two implicit leaf temperature prediction equations were derived from the energy balance approach. The equations define sensible and latent heat transfer from a plant population as a two step process: Transfer between the plant leaf and the canopy bulk air and Transfer between the canopy bulk air and the atmosphere. Boundary layer concepts were applied to leaf heat transfer in both equations. Turbulent atmospheric transfer by free and forced convection were considered. Measurements of leaf temperature and wind velocity, temperature and humidity profiles for a cucumber plot were taken during ten tests. Richardson numbers to classify atmospheric stability were determined. The neutral wind velocity profile parameters, roughness height and zero displacement height were determined by a computerized least squares technique using data from the ten tests. Calculated Richardson\u27s numbers indicated transfer by free convection. Comparison of predicted and measured leaf temperatures revealed the forced convection prediction equations considerably over estimated leaf temperature while the free convection predictions was much more accurate

Simulation of the Sedimentology of Sediment Detention Basins

Sediment detention basins are a widely used means of controlling downstream sediment pollution resulting from stripmining and construction activities. A mathematical model for describing the sedimentation characteristics of detention basins has been developed. This model requires as inputs the inflow hydrograph, inflow sediment graph, sediment particle size distribution, detention basin stage-area relationship and detention basin stage-discharge relationship. Based on this information the model routes the water and sediment through the basin. In this routing process the outflow sediment concentration graph, the pattern of sediment deposition in the basin and the sediment trapping efficiency are estimated. Comparison of predicted results with measured sediment basin performance indicates the model accurately represents the sedimentation process in detention basins. This report details the model, illustrates its use in design, explains how to process the model on a digital computer and presents a program listing of the model

Analysis of the Sediment Filtering Action of Grassed Media

The movement of sediment in non-submerged flow through a rigid grass media was studied experimentally by simulating the media with cylindrical nails. Models of sediment movement were developed from probablistic reasoning and from the use of existing parameters describing total bed material in open channel flow. In the probability analysis, the percent sediment trapped was found to be a power function of the number of potential fall paths, Nf,a particle could make from the surface to the bed while traveling through the filter media. The percent trapped was also found to be an inverse power function of the Reynolds number ReT. The characteristic length used in the Reynolds number was a hydraulic radius calculated assuming rectangular open channel flow with a width equal to the spacing between elements and a depth equal to the depth of flow. This is defined as the spacing hydraulic radius, Rs. The percent trapped was finally related exponentially to a combined power function of Nf and ReT. Total bed material transport functions of Graf and Einstein were modified and evaluated as predictors of suspended and bed load. Bed shear was assumed to be equal to γRsS where γ is the weight density of water and S is channel slope. Both Graf\u27s and Einstein\u27s parameters were found to be good predictors of suspended and bed load. Based on the results of the study, procedures are proposed for analyzing the trapping capability of sediment by grass filters

Simulating the Water Requirements and Economic Feasibility of Corn in the Midwest

An evaluation of the economics of supplemental irrigation when using a surface water supply must be site specific in order to account for variations in soil moisture holding capacity, watershed area supplying the runoff, climatic conditions, and proposed irrigation management procedures. With the use of farm specific simulation models to determine grain yields, availability of irrigation water, and economic expenditures involved in irrigation, an economic evaluation of supplemental irrigation can be performed, In the model presented in this report, the Duncan SIMAIZ model is used to predict grain yields using long-term daily weather information. SIMAIZ also determines irrigation water demand for the crop. The Haan Water Yield Model is used to predict flow into a reservoir using the same weather information. By knowing daily water flow into a reservoir and water demand for irrigation, a reservoir size is determined which will supply water at all times for the study period. Simulations are then run by incrementally reducing, by volume, the size of this reservoir, thus limiting the availability of irrigation water, and resulting in reduced irrigated yields. An economic evaluation is performed for each reservoir size. Costs and benefits included are: initial cost of constructing the reservoir, yearly reservoir maintenance cost, yearly irrigation costs of operation, and additional income resulting from the increase in grain yields. After the project life has been assumed, the model determines the capital available for investing in an irrigation system for a given year and reservoir size. By ranking these values, a probability distribution is obtained indicating the probability of making money in any given year. By using the Central Limit Theorem, these results are converted to the probability of making money over the life of the system. A sensitivity analysis examines the sensitivity of capital available for investment in an irrigation system to select input variation. The results indicate that great care should be exercised when assigning values to some inputs, while for others, a reasonable estimate is adequate. This model can be used as a tool for evaluating which irrigation practices, if any, are economically feasible. An example of its use is shown

From presence to consciousness through virtual reality

Immersive virtual environments can break the deep, everyday connection between where our senses tell us we are and where we are actually located and whom we are with. The concept of 'presence' refers to the phenomenon of behaving and feeling as if we are in the virtual world created by computer displays. In this article, we argue that presence is worthy of study by neuroscientists, and that it might aid the study of perception and consciousness

Extended shell-model calculation for even N=82 isotones with realistic effective interactions

The shell model within the $2s1d0g_{7/2}0h_{11/2}$ shell is applied to calculate nuclear structure properties of the even Z=52 - 62, N=82 isotones. The results are compared with experimental data and with the results of a quasiparticle random-phase approximation (QRPA) calculation. The interaction used in these calculations is a realistic two-body G-matrix interaction derived from modern meson-exchange potential models for the nucleon-nucleon interaction. For the shell model all the two-body matrix elements are renormalized by the $\hat{Q}$-box method whereas for the QRPA the effective interaction is defined by the G-matrix.Comment: 25 pages, Elsevier latex style. Submitted to Nuclear Physics

Volatile Decision Dynamics: Experiments, Stochastic Description, Intermittency Control, and Traffic Optimization

The coordinated and efficient distribution of limited resources by individual decisions is a fundamental, unsolved problem. When individuals compete for road capacities, time, space, money, goods, etc., they normally make decisions based on aggregate rather than complete information, such as TV news or stock market indices. In related experiments, we have observed a volatile decision dynamics and far-from-optimal payoff distributions. We have also identified ways of information presentation that can considerably improve the overall performance of the system. In order to determine optimal strategies of decision guidance by means of user-specific recommendations, a stochastic behavioural description is developed. These strategies manage to increase the adaptibility to changing conditions and to reduce the deviation from the time-dependent user equilibrium, thereby enhancing the average and individual payoffs. Hence, our guidance strategies can increase the performance of all users by reducing overreaction and stabilizing the decision dynamics. These results are highly significant for predicting decision behaviour, for reaching optimal behavioural distributions by decision support systems, and for information service providers. One of the promising fields of application is traffic optimization.Comment: For related work see http://www.helbing.or