39 research outputs found
Variations in the hospital management of self harm in adults in England: observational study
More than 140 000 people present to hospital after an
episode of self harm each year in England and Wales.
Improving the general hospital management of these
people is a key area in preventing suicide. Although
professional consensus has been reached on how self
harm services should be organised and delivered,
wide variations in care delivery have been reported in
two regions in England. Using a nationally
representative sample, we investigated the variation in
services and delivery of care for self harm patients in
hospitals in England
Preparation of iron molybdate catalysts for methanol to formaldehyde oxidation based on ammonium molybdoferrate(II) precursor
It was demonstrated that iron molybdate catalysts for methanol oxidation can be prepared
using Fe(II) as a precursor instead of Fe(III). This would allow for reduction of acidity of
preparation solutions as well as elimination of Fe(III) oxide impurities which are detrimental for
the process selectivity. The system containing Fe(II) and Mo(VI) species in aqueous solution was
investigated using UVâVis spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that three types of chemical reactions
occur in the Fe(II)âMo(VI) system: (i) formation of complexes between Fe(II) and molybdate(VI)
ions, (ii) inner sphere oxidation of coordinated Fe(II) by Mo(VI) and (iii) decomposition of the
FeâMo complexes to form scarcely soluble Fe(III) molybdate, Mo(VI) hydrous trioxide and
molybdenum blue. Solid molybdoferrate(II) prepared by interaction of Fe(II) and Mo(VI) in
solution was characterized by EDXA, TGA, DTA and XRD and a scheme of its thermal evolution
proposed. The iron molybdate catalyst prepared from Fe(II) precursor was tested in methanol-toformaldehyde
oxidation in a continuous flow fixed-bed reactor to show similar activity and
selectivity to the conventional catalyst prepared with the use of Fe(III)
Yield of Photoperiod-sensitive Sorghum Hybrids Based on Guinea-race Germplasm under Farmersâ Field Conditions in Mali
The first sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] hybrids based on West African Guinea-race-derived parents were created to enhance farmerâs food security and income through increased yields. To assess their performance, eight hybrids, six experimental pure-line cultivars, one pure-line check (Lata), and a highly adapted landrace cultivar (Tieble) were evaluated in 27 farmer-managed and two on-station yield trials in Mali, West Africa, from 2009 to 2011. The hybrids were confirmed to have photoperiod sensitivity similar to the well-adapted Guinea landrace check cultivar. Genotypic differences for on-farm grain yield were highly significant and genotype Ă environment crossover interactions were limited. The yield superiorities of individual hybrids, relative to the landrace check, ranged from 17 to 37% over the 27 on-farm trials. The three top yielding hybrids showed 30% yield advantages across productivity levels, with absolute yield advantages averaging 380 kg haâ1 under lower (1.0â1.5 t haâ1) and 660 kg haâ1 under higher (2.0â3.5 t haâ1) productivity conditions. A mean male-parent (better parent) heterosis of 26% was observed for the four hybrids having Lata as a male parent. As the hybrids studied here were obtained with a low intensity of selection using a limited number of parents, even greater yield superiorities may be attained with development of distinct parental pools and scaled-up hybrid breeding
A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world
Outcomes measurement in psychiatry: a critical review of outcomes measurement in psychiatric research and practice
BACKGROUND
Outcomes are measured to establish what works, in the context of evaluative research, and
to improve the quality of care that is offered. Traditional outcomes focus upon biomedical
endpoints, but there is an increased interest in patient based outcomes, which measure the
impact of illness or healthcare interventions on the individual and how they live their day-today
life. There are reasons to expect that the application of patient based outcomes would
be especially relevant to the discipline of psychiatry.
AIMS
To explore the measurement of outcome in psychiatric research and practice, with particular
reference to patient based outcomes.
METHODS
1. A critical literature review of the outcomes movement in health care.
2. A survey and systematic review of the methods used to measure outcome in
evaluative psychiatric research (randomised trials and outcomes research).
3. A survey of the use of outcomes measures by UK psychiatrists in their day-to-day
practice.
4. A systematic review of the effectiveness of routine outcomes measurement in
improving the quality of care for those with common psychiatric disorders.
RESULTS
An outcomes movement has emerged in healthcare, which can be understood in social,
political and economic terms. Outcomes measurement in psychiatric research is dominated
by the measurement of psychiatric symptoms, with little reference to patient based
measures. Practising UK psychiatrists rarely measure outcomes. There are substantial
practical and attitudinal barriers to the use of outcomes instruments in NHS mental health
services. There is little evidence to support the potential for routine outcomes measures to
improve the quality of mental healthcare.
DISCUSSION
Current mental health policy places great emphasis on the measurement of outcomes, and
is likely to fail. The potential for patient based outcomes to be adopted in psychiatric
research and practice has yet to be realised. The need for important research into the
suitability and value of patient based outcomes measures in mental health research and
practice is identified
Too big to fail and too big to succeed: accounting and privatisation in the Prison Service of England and Wales
This paper is concerned with the challenges involved in the transformation of the prison into a performance-oriented accounting entity. It examines the implication of private sector accounting and consulting expertise in redefining prison values and prison performance, and it discusses the consequences this had for definitions of risk and responsibility. The paper shows how the reforms promoted a systemic decentring of Prison Service accountability. Prison managers and regulators came to be inserted into hierarchies of expertise and credibility shaped by quests for commensuration and auditability. Further, the paper shows how the reform attempts brought about a situation of institutional lock-in by contributing, as the outgoing HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers has put it in 2010, to the creation of an inflated prison system âtoo big to fail, and too big to succeed'