Predictors of violent incidents amongst patients in psychiatric intensive care units: A review of global evidence

Aim: The objective is to identify key predictors of violent behaviour amongst patients admitted to PICUs. Methods: A literature search was carried out in five online databases using a predefined strategy with terms relevant to the setting and population. Articles were screened based on the inclusion criteria and quality assessed using the Hawker critical appraisal tool. A thematic matrix was prepared from the final articles to highlight the pivotal predictors for violent behaviour in PICUs. Results: Initial search without duplicates retrieved 152 articles, of which 120 were excluded after screening their title and abstract. The full-text of 32 articles was read of which a total of 10 studies with 4733 participants were included in the literature review. These studies had good designs and methodological quality. The key predictors of violent incidents were a longer duration of in-patient stay, higher readmission rate, non-voluntary admission to PICUs, previous history of violence and substance misuse, permanent staff absences, being a single young male, having low level of education and having schizophrenia. Conclusion: The findings suggest that a variety of different factors contribute to violent incidents in PICUs. Our results may assist in the development of community and hospital-based interventions including situation management regular staff training, promoting a friendly environment and post-incident debriefs that can prevent future violent incidents in PICU

Admissible fundamental operators

Let $F$ and $G$ be two bounded operators on two Hilbert spaces. Let their numerical radii be no greater than one. This note investigate when there is a $\Gamma$-contraction $(S,P)$ such that $F$ is the fundamental operator of $(S,P)$ and $G$ is the fundamental operator of $(S^*,P^*)$. Theorem 1 puts a necessary condition on $F$ and $G$ for them to be the fundamental operators of $(S,P)$ and $(S^*,P^*)$ respectively. Theorem 2 shows that this necessary condition is sufficient too provided we restrict our attention to a certain special case. The general case is investigated in Theorem 3. Some of the results obtained for $\Gamma$-contractions are then applied to tetrablock contractions to figure out when two pairs $(F_1, F_2)$ and $(G_1, G_2)$ acting on two Hilbert spaces can be fundamental operators of a tetrablock contraction $(A, B, P)$ and its adjoint $(A^*, B^*, P^*)$ respectively. This is the content of Theorem 4

Recreational opportunities and health status in West Virginia

Over half of all Americans are considered to be physically inactive and/or obese, leading to significant individual and societal costs. This study investigates the link between recreational supply and health status for West Virginia. Using spatial econometric techniques, this study provides solid evidence that the demand for health care is positively associated with physical inactivity rates, and that physical inactivity rates are inversely related to the supply of recreational opportunities. When promoting the importance of physical activity as preventative health care, policy makers should consider the provision of recreational opportunities as a means to overcome sedentary behaviors

Crafting and Science

Crafting and studying traditional craft practices interest me. From my experience of observing crafts in India, it seemed to me that crafting and the scientific method shared commonalities. The crafting process is systematic, there is an intricate play of thought and action, it is based on knowledge and experience and is an iterative process. This made me curious to know which similarities exist between crafting and science. And Vicarte was the ideal place to investigate my curiosity as I see Vicarte as confluence of science, arts and crafts in glass and ceramics.My investigation includes an interesting experiment involving the borosilicate scientific equipment making process through which I attempt to find the similarities and differences between crafting and scientific method. For me this project was a vehicle to discover some essential aspects of crafting and to understand skill, tacit knowledge and how crafts, as opposed to popular belief, involve thinking. I have come to realize that understanding crafts and the commonalities between crafting and the scientific method of investigation, is a study for a lifetime and there is a great deal to discover before I can begin to understand the nature of crafting this document is a compilation of my learnings until now of essential aspects and the vocabulary used in crafting