People with dementia playing casual games on a tablet

Objective: Preserving clients’ quality of life (QoL) has become increasingly important in dementia care. Engagement in pleasant and meaningful activities may influence this QoL. We studied people with dementia’s experiences and views of independent tablet games in a practice-based study, conducted at two day-care centres and five small-scale living facilities for people with dementia in the city of Rotterdam. Method: The participants were 54 clients (24 men, 30 women; mean age 83 years) who participated in a total of 177 game-playing sessions. Ten existing iPad games and three new game prototypes were evaluated. Written informed consent was obtained from the clients or the clients’ representatives prior to the study. Data collection included epidemiological and game playing characteristics. Observers took note of the specific game(s) offered, the clients’ mood and engagement, and the duration of game playing. Immediately after each participant finished playing,a short 4-question interview was conducted to discover their opinion on the game. The participants’ answers were recorded verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was used to explore their experiences and views of the games. Results: This study revealed positive experiences related to people’s need for achievement, self-esteem, sense of connection and belonging, identity, having something to do, and admiration for the game. Negative experiences included failure (low self-esteem), annoyance and a sense of insecurity. Conclusions: This study shows there is potential for people with dementia to play casual games on a tablet as a pleasant and meaningful activity. It is important, however that there is a match between the game, the touchscreen skills of the person with dementia, and their ambitions or interests. It is challenging to find the right game for the right person. An interactive tool to support the choice of the game that is most suitable and a database of dementia-friendly tablet games may support the use of these games by people with dementia, in health care organisations as well as at home

Cosmological Constant and Noncommutativity: A Newtonian point of view

We study a Newtonian cosmological model in the context of a noncommutative space. It is shown that the trajectories of a test particle undergo modifications such that it no longer satisfies the cosmological principle. For the case of a positive cosmological constant, spiral trajectories are obtained and corrections to the Hubble constant appear. It is also shown that, in the limit of a strong noncommutative parameter, the model is closely related to a particle in a G\"odel-type metric.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, Introduction was changed and references added. Final version accepted for publication in JMPL

Quasiperiodic Modulated-Spring Model

We study the classical vibration problem of a chain with spring constants which are modulated in a quasiperiodic manner, {\it i. e.}, a model in which the elastic energy is $\sum_j k_j( u_{j-1}-{u_j})^2$, where $k_j=1+\Delta cos[2\pi\sigma(j-1/2)+\theta]$ and $\sigma$ is an irrational number. For $\Delta < 1$, it is shown analytically that the spectrum is absolutely continuous, {\it i.e.}, all the eigen modes are extended. For $\Delta=1$, numerical scaling analysis shows that the spectrum is purely singular continuous, {\it i.e.}, all the modes are critical.Comment: REV TeX fil

Relativistic quantum mechanics of a Dirac oscillator

The Dirac oscillator is an exactly soluble model recently introduced in the context of many particle models in relativistic quantum mechanics. The model has been also considered as an interaction term for modelling quark confinement in quantum chromodynamics. These considerations should be enough for demonstrating that the Dirac oscillator can be an excellent example in relativistic quantum mechanics. In this paper we offer a solution to the problem and discuss some of its properties. We also discuss a physical picture for the Dirac oscillator's non-standard interaction, showing how it arises on describing the behaviour of a neutral particle carrying an anomalous magnetic moment and moving inside an uniformly charged sphere.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figur

New non-unitary representations in a Dirac hydrogen atom

New non-unitary representations of the SU(2) algebra are introduced for the case of the Dirac equation with a Coulomb potential; an extra phase, needed to close the algebra, is also introduced. The new representations does not require integer or half integer labels. The set of operators defined are used to span the complete space of bound state eigenstates of the problem thus solving it in an essentially algebraic way

Observation of Andreev Reflection Enhanced Shot Noise

We have experimentally investigated the quasiparticle shot noise in NbN/MgO/NbN superconductor - insulator - superconductor tunnel junctions. The observed shot noise is significantly larger than theoretically expected. We attribute this to the occurrence of multiple Andreev reflection processes in pinholes present in the MgO barrier. This mechanism causes the current to flow in large charge quanta (Andreev clusters), with a voltage dependent average value of m = 1+ 2 Delta/eV times the electron charge. Because of this charge enhancement effect, the shot noise is increased by the factor m.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures include

Refined Factorizations of Solvable Potentials

A generalization of the factorization technique is shown to be a powerful algebraic tool to discover further properties of a class of integrable systems in Quantum Mechanics. The method is applied in the study of radial oscillator, Morse and Coulomb potentials to obtain a wide set of raising and lowering operators, and to show clearly the connection that link these systems.Comment: 11 pages, LaTeX file, no figure

Analgosedation in paediatric severe traumatic brain injury (TBI): practice, pitfalls and possibilities

Analgosedation is a fundamental part of traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment guidelines, encompassing both first and second tier supportive strategies. Worldwide analgosedation practices continue to be heterogeneous due to the low level of evidence in treatment guidelines (level III) and the choice of analgosedative drugs is made by the treating clinician. Current practice is thus empirical and may result in unfavourable (often hemodynamic) side effects. This article presents an overview of current analgosedation practices in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and addresses pitfalls both in the short and long term. We discuss innovative (pre-)clinical research that can provide the framework for initiatives to improve our pharmacological understanding of analgesic and sedative drugs used in paediatric severe TBI and ultimately facilitate steps towards evidence-based and precision pharmacotherapy in this vulnerable patient group

A useful form of the recurrence relation between relativistic atomic matrix elements of radial powers

Recently obtained recurrence formulae for relativistic hydrogenic radial matrix elements are cast in a simpler and perhaps more useful form. This is achieved with the help of a new relation between the $r^a$ and the $\beta r^b$ terms ($\beta$ is a $4\times 4$ Dirac matrix and $a, b$ are constants) in the atomic matrix elements.Comment: 7 pages, no figure

The Water Utility Risk Integration Matrix: Demonstrating Potential for an Integrated Approach to Municipal Water Management

Abstract Municipal water utilities traditionally have been managed in isolation with little consideration of common factors affecting risk. An integrated approach to municipal water management has great potential for increasing the resilience of these systems under future uncertainties. In a recent survey conducted by the University of Guelph, respondents from various Canadian municipalities identified aging infrastructure, climate change and urbanization as the top three drivers of risk to water infrastructure. To demonstrate the potential for an integrated approach to risk management of water infrastructure, the Water Utility Risk Integration Matrix document was developed. This interactive document emphasizes commonalities across municipal water sectors and allows users to quickly access relevant information on the previously identified drivers of risk. Each chapter provides an overview of the impact each driver has on water treatment and distribution, sewage conveyance and treatment, combined sewer systems, and stormwater conveyance. The document provides direct access to additional details and external webpages containing statistics and examples for any implications of interest to the user. Relevant guidance and case studies are also incorporated into the document with links to external data sources. This document facilitates information gathering to assist in the widespread adoption of an integrated approach to risk management of municipal water utilities and provides a framework for further development of risk management initiatives