‘Heading up a blind alley’? Scottish psychiatric hospitals in the era of deinstitutionalization

This article examines Scottish provision of psychiatric care in the 1960s and 1970s. It demonstrates that institutional services did not rapidly disappear across the UK following the Ministry of Health’s decision to shut down psychiatric hospitals in 1961, and highlights Scotland’s distinctive trajectory. Furthermore, it contends that psychiatric hospitals developed new approaches to assist patients in this era, thereby contributing towards the transformation of post-war psychiatric practice. Connecting a discussion of policy with an analysis of provision, it examines the Department of Health for Scotland’s cautious response to the Ministry’s embrace of deinstitutionalization, before analysing Glasgow’s psychiatric provision in the 1970s. At this point the city boasted virtually no community-based services, and relied heavily on its under-resourced and overburdened hospitals. Closer analysis dispels any impression of stagnation, revealing how ideologies of deinstitutionalization transformed institutional care. </jats:p

Asymptotic results for sample autocovariance functions and extremes of integrated generalized Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes

We consider a positive stationary generalized Ornstein--Uhlenbeck process V_t=\mathrm{e}^{-\xi_t}\biggl(\int_0^t\mathrm{e}^{\xi_{s-}}\ ,\mathrm{d}\eta_s+V_0\biggr)\qquadfor t\geq0, and the increments of the integrated generalized Ornstein--Uhlenbeck process $I_k=\int_{k-1}^k\sqrt{V_{t-}} \mathrm{d}L_t$, $k\in\mathbb{N}$, where $(\xi_t,\eta_t,L_t)_{t\geq0}$ is a three-dimensional L\'{e}vy process independent of the starting random variable $V_0$. The genOU model is a continuous-time version of a stochastic recurrence equation. Hence, our models include, in particular, continuous-time versions of $\operatorname {ARCH}(1)$ and $\operatorname {GARCH}(1,1)$ processes. In this paper we investigate the asymptotic behavior of extremes and the sample autocovariance function of $(V_t)_{t\geq0}$ and $(I_k)_{k\in\mathbb{N}}$. Furthermore, we present a central limit result for $(I_k)_{k\in\mathbb{N}}$. Regular variation and point process convergence play a crucial role in establishing the statistics of $(V_t)_{t\geq0}$ and $(I_k)_{k\in\mathbb{N}}$. The theory can be applied to the $\operatorname {COGARCH}(1,1)$ and the Nelson diffusion model.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/08-BEJ174 the Bernoulli (http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm

Minor-Embedding in Adiabatic Quantum Computation: I. The Parameter Setting Problem

We show that the NP-hard quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problem on a graph $G$ can be solved using an adiabatic quantum computer that implements an Ising spin-1/2 Hamiltonian, by reduction through minor-embedding of $G$ in the quantum hardware graph $U$. There are two components to this reduction: embedding and parameter setting. The embedding problem is to find a minor-embedding $G^{emb}$ of a graph $G$ in $U$, which is a subgraph of $U$ such that $G$ can be obtained from $G^{emb}$ by contracting edges. The parameter setting problem is to determine the corresponding parameters, qubit biases and coupler strengths, of the embedded Ising Hamiltonian. In this paper, we focus on the parameter setting problem. As an example, we demonstrate the embedded Ising Hamiltonian for solving the maximum independent set (MIS) problem via adiabatic quantum computation (AQC) using an Ising spin-1/2 system. We close by discussing several related algorithmic problems that need to be investigated in order to facilitate the design of adiabatic algorithms and AQC architectures.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, submitte

Designing Refillable Packaging: A Qualitative Approach

In recognition of the fact that current packaging design fails to address the resource reductions needed to support the sustainability agenda (INCPEN, 2001; Environmental Services Association, 2004), a 2 year collaborative research project between Loughborough University and The Boots Company, funded by DEFRA, was set up to investigate the feasibility of developing refillable packaging systems which appeal to the consumer whilst reducing the overall sustainability impact. The overall aim of the project – ‘Refillable Packaging Systems’, reported on in this paper was to develop a refillable packaging system for a ‘body wash’ product and to investigate its feasibility with respect to consumer acceptance (female customers, aged 21-40) and sustainability improvements. In order to achieve the project aim a broad range of qualitative methods were used. This paper details the methods used to collate background understanding, develop design concepts and test the viability of the design solutions. It reflects on why they were used, how effective they were and on the benefits of combining these different methods at different stages. The paper concludes that combining together an array of design related qualitative methods, of the nature described, can produce rich and valuable outcomes. The project demonstrates that this approach can lead to the development of a more detailed understanding of the topic under investigation and open up discussion by creating demonstrator products which can be handled, critiqued and examined. Keywords: Packaging; Design Methods; Questionnaire; Visual Templates; Prototyping; Consumer Workshops</p

No Time to be Sick: Why Everyone Suffers When Workers Don't Have Paid Sick Leave

Paid sick leave gives workers an opportunity to regain their health, return to full productivity at work, and avoid spreading disease to their co-workers, all of which reduces employers' overall absence expense. When used to care for sick children, it helps them get well faster and reduces job turnover of working parents. Workers who care for adult relatives, including the elderly, need paid sick leave to take care of their loved ones' chronic and acute medical problems. However, new analysis of data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the inadequacy of paid sick leave coverage: more than 59 million workers have no such leave.Even more -- nearly 86 million -- do not have paid sick leave to care for sick children. Full-time workers, those in the public sector, and union members have the best sick leave coverage, while part-timers and low-wage workers have very low coverage rates. Expansion of paid sick leave and integration of family caregiving activities into authorized uses of paid sick leave are crucial work and health supports for workers, their families, employers, and our communities at large

Paid Sick Days Improve Public Health by Reducing the Spread of Disease

Paid sick days can reduce the spread of disease at work and in child-care settings, creating significant public health benefits and a more productive workforce. That's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that workers with the flu stay home. Yet many workers cannot do so without losing income or their job