Influence of facemask design on operational performance

Spirometric measurements of oxygen volume and determination of the amount of argon in exhaled breath are used to analyze facemask design efficiency during treadmill walking tests with subjects carrying plastic hoods filled with argon. Facemask leakage measurements established the better performance of a pneumatic seal type mask in comparison with plain seal type masks

Market hours survey : a report for the Metropolitan Market Trust

Questionnaires were sent to growers, buyers, transporters and market tenants. A low response rate from growers and buyers is interpreted as indicating the changes to market hours made by the Trust in winter 1983 were largely a non issue. Failure to respond can be interpreted as a positive reaction or ambivalence to the issue. Of those responding 89 per cent of growers and 55 per cent of buyers said the changes had no effect on their business. Transporters and market tenants were divided as to whether the changes had affected them and whether they were an improvement or not. On balance the survey results suggest the Trust can assume its changes to winter hours are acceptable to the majority of growers, buyers and transporters but that market tenants are more or less equally divided

Is “end of life” a special case? Connecting Q with survey methods to measure societal support for views on the value of life-extending treatments

Preference elicitation studies reporting societal views on the relative value of end-of-life treatments have produced equivocal results. This paper presents an alternative method, combining Q methodology and survey techniques (Q2S) to determine the distribution of 3 viewpoints on the relative value of end-of-life treatments identified in a previous, published, phase of this work. These were Viewpoint 1, “A population perspective: value for money, no special cases”; Viewpoint 2, “Life is precious: valuing life-extension and patient choice”; and Viewpoint 3, “Valuing wider benefits and opportunity cost: the quality of life and death.”. A Q2S survey of 4,902 respondents across the United Kingdom measured agreement with these viewpoints; 37% most agreed with Viewpoint 1, 49% with Viewpoint 2, and 9% with Viewpoint 3. Regression analysis showed associations of viewpoints with gender, level of education, religion, voting preferences, and satisfaction with the NHS. The Q2S approach provides a promising means to investigate how in-depth views and opinions are represented in the wider populati

Psychological factors in personal and clinical recovery in bipolar disorder

Background: Research into bipolar disorder (BD) has primarily focused upon clinical recovery (CR), i.e. symptom reduction, and overlooked personally meaningful recovery outcomes emphasized by service users. Personal recovery (PR) has been a major focus in the formulation of mental health policies and guidelines, and yet, research into factors influencing PR in BD is in its infancy. Methods: This study compared psychological associates of concurrent PR and CR, and determined psychological factors in PR prospectively at 6 months. Results: 107 participants completed baseline assessments, of whom 84% completed follow-up at 6 months. Controlling for potential confounders, multiple linear and ordinal regression models showed that some psychological factors underpinned both CR and PR at baseline: worse PR and CR outcomes were associated with higher negative self-dispositional appraisals and dysfunctional attitudes. Better PR, but worse CR ([hypo]mania related) were associated with higher adaptive coping. Additionally, better PR (but not CR) was associated with higher concurrent risk taking at baseline and predicted at follow-up by higher levels of baseline rumination. Better CR ([hypo]mania related), but not PR, was associated with lower impulsivity, but higher BAS processes. Limitations: Psychological and clinical factors were not measured at follow up and may have changed over time. Participants were a convenience sample. Conclusions: Understanding psychological factors driving recovery in BD is essential for refining the conceptual framework of PR, and informing psychological models and related interventions for BD. The identified differences in psychological factors highlight the importance of more individualised, PR focused therapeutic approaches